My son started attending Merry Deb in September 2022 after we moved to Weymouth from Cambridge…read morebased on a recommendation from a former co-worker. He was in the pre-school room as it was his last year before starting kindergarten. It was such a great experience. Not only did it prepare him for kindergarten (writing his first and last name, eating lunch within 30 minutes, etc) but he learned so much through the other programming (Black History month, Women's History month). He adores every single teacher and director at Merry Deb, and he was so excited to get to go back for "summer camp" for a few weeks this summer in between the other camps he is attending. If you are looking for a pre-school in the area, I cannot recommend Merry Deb highly enough!

Our 4 year old son started here in Sept and, on so many levels, it was a huge improvement over his…read moreformer center. They have a strong Pre-k program that is delivered in a warm and friendly environment. The hours are perfect and they have a great policy regarding school vacation weeks. There are so many wonderful things to say about this place but the best is how happy our son is to show us his work at the end of each day! Thrilled we were able to secure a spot for him at Merry Deb!

My oldest has been at OCMS for going on 3 years now, and my youngest for 2. I cannot say enough…read moregood things about this school in particular, but the Montessori education in general. It allows the child to learn in their own time removing, shame, pressure and ultimately, anxiety. And yes, they learn. My 6 year old is reading chapter books. What it does, is gives them the gift of actually learning for enjoyment. The teachers are nurturing, accommodating and the facilities are excellent. If you're on the fence, check it out- I believe tours go year round. Also worth visiting is the elementary program where not only academia (like math/ reading etc) is taught, but yoga, breath work and organic gardening are practiced. Cannot recommend enough.

Needham location needs severe improvement. My son did not…read morelearn Spanish and his naps were way too long. He would arrived at 8:00am and at noon they went to nap until 3:00. I would then pick him up at 3:30. Terrible if you ask me. My son is 5 (late birthday) and he only needed an hour of rest. He never wanted to nap honestly. The teachers at times would put them to nap at 11:50 which made me a bit furious....I would pick my son up for lunch and sure enough when I would drop him off at 11:50 the teachers would place the kids down for a nap 10 min early. They need to move this location into a bigger suite/building. It doesn't look like they invest much because it's obvious inside they need new toys/everything really just an upgrade. For the amount I spent to have my son attend, I expected better. Lastly, Jenn Doyle from enrollment needs to be fired. She's rude and takes forever to get back to you. She typically has the same lame excuse stating that she is in a meeting which an attitude. I pulled my son out of Pine Village because I felt that he was not learning at all. He is now in another Preschool where he's been learning really quick academically in order to be ready for kindergarten. Look elsewhere or stay away from the Needham location. Lastly, my son learned horrible habits of hitting and biting from other children. That stopped at his new school because the teachers would not tolerate this. But, at Pine Village the teachers my guess is that they did not pay attention to the kids or no consequences happened for example. pulling the child aside. And this is why it persisted. The teachers are nice here but they have a high turnover...My guess is that the higher up's do not value them and simply do not pay them well. The higher up's only cares about profit and they are rude. They should try treating the staff every Friday to maybe lunch as a thank you. Lastly, in order for teachers to receive a bonus they ask us parents to donate money. We pay a lot for our kids to attend school. They should maybe give them a bonus on their end...

Pine Village is a Spanish immersion daycare and preschool, with classes from infant to…read morekindergarten. There are a number of locations (10 by now?) and my son went to two: Brighton (for a transition summer before the new school opened) and Newton Highlands, and we toured West Newton. We LOVE PINE VILLAGE! It's clean, organized, professional, and so warm (emotionally, but also on cold winter days, literally). Spanish immersion. The teachers are native Spanish speakers but there are teachers who speak English (for kids who don't speak Spanish yet, and to talk to the parents who don't speak Spanish). The Directors are fluently bilingual and are around at dropoff and pickup if there is any linguistic confusion. (So no Spanish? No problem. Kids are supported in learning but are understood in English and parents can communicate.) My kid came in as a toddler knowing no Spanish and within a couple months he understood everything but responded in English, and now in preschool is expected to speak Spanish (with gentle prompting) given his abilities. There are Spanish books everywhere to read, or for teachers to read out loud. The price is on the lower side of area daycare/preschool, based on about 13 other schools I looked at. Still not cheap exactly, but maybe licensed trained and educational child care shouldn't be cheap, right? The 3 facilities I looked at are in different spaces, but all seem pretty nice and have access to play areas. The West Newton one is in a UU church basement near Mass Pike, and has a HUGE indoor space for winter running around. The Brighton one is in the bottom of a city block, with big windows, and a small playground/big field across the street, and a short walk away over a sky bridge is a huge glorious public water park with 2 big playgrounds, and Charles River walkways. (Pretty awesome especially in summer.) The Newton Highlands one is also in the basement of a church, in two large rooms, with a permanent smaller indoor play area and (depending on church uses eg play) access to the large empty room next door. There are two small fenced playgrounds and a short walk away is a big field. I'm told there are sprinklers for hot summer outdoor play. In addition they have group exercise classes, such as yoga or Zumba, which kids do according to interest & ability. Pine Village has a dedicated curriculum quality rep, who goes between all the locations to ensure that quality of education stays high across the sites and that best practices are shared. They're ok with different locations having their own 'flavor' or feel, so long as the quality stays consistent. They also really focus on emotional self regulation. Deep breathing like blowing up a balloon, and taking a time out to gather one's reserves when too emotional.

Our experience at Next Generation in Walpole was incredible. Our son began attending as an infant…read moreand moved up to the toddler program as he got older. All of his teachers were wonderful, caring and responsive. They were very respectful of our requests, and they were all clearly invested in our son. The directors and administrative staff were incredible as well. Our son had some health issues during his time there and I cannot say enough about how amazing everyone was in helping him and us during that time. They became like an extended family to us. They also did a great job with cleaning protocols and managing pandemic-related challenges. The facility itself is clean, bright, and safe. Next Generation Walpole is a caring, supportive, nurturing program where children can thrive, and families are supported.

It's tough to leave your child during the day but I don't have to worry with NGCC. He is engaged…read moreall day long with teachers that adore him, and I can see his updates and photos real time via the app. I don't have to worry about his nutrition (since he refuses veggies at home) and I love that that are continually trying to improve and try different things to ensure a high quality experience and education. Highly recommend.

The photos I added a while back don't even do the school justice. It's been completely repainted…read moreand renovated and is bright, fun and vibrant. Very clean. My son started at the Red House Academy when he was 2 years, 8 months. I wanted to get some more socialization going for him as soon as I could. I was excited to hear that they would start him as a toddler, then transition him to the preschool program at 2 years, 9 months... The official MA preschool age. So, he has been attending for 7 months, 2 mornings a week (right thru the summer). Despite frequent staff changes, I think they are doing a really good job. It is a new business, so I think it's evolving. There is a new director, Kay, she is friendly and outgoing. One of the toddler teachers Jenna was recently promoted to Assistant Director. I like them both very much. My family has had schedule craziness and they've been totally accommodating. The toddler "daycare" teachers seem very competent, clearly love the kids and smile a lot. I personally think that's important, to bring your kids to school to a place where the staff aren't hating life. There is a new preschool teacher, Ms. G. Recently she told us she was fine with it if we wanted to try big boy undies at school. She assured us that she would encourage our son to go every hour. At the end of that first day we had no accidents at school... Because she wasn't afraid of the possibility of having to clean up accidents. I thought that was pretty awesome. In the short time Kay has been the director, there is a private FB page up & running where you can see pictures and videos and get info. Recently added is a link where you can get specific info about your own kid's day. Speaking of privacy & safety, the staff is very much aware of safety issues. Except for pickup and dropoff times the doors are locked. It's a small school so the staff knows who is picking up the kids and who is unusual. They made me sign a form it it was ok to take my son's picture and post on the FB page. They understand that being a parent is hectic and it's easy to forget stuff. I appreciate that they typically give lots of advance notice for anything we are supposed to remember and repeated reminders. Most importantly, my son is happy when I pick him up from school and he is learning. They have a lot of diversity in their day, different activities, crafts, writing, reading, free play time both inside and on the playground. They take little group walks on the back roads behind they school. On hot summer days they can bring swimsuits sometimes and get to go in the sprinkler. I feel like the teachers and staff are working hard to make sure that the kids aren't bored. Also, the school is extremely clean. I would recommend it! But word is getting out, so join fast. Ps very reasonable prices.

After weeks of searching for a preschool, we enrolled our daughter at The Red House in October. My…read moreprimary goal was to find a program that has structure but also a philosophy of learning through active play. Our daughter has been in home care, so I felt this was a good preschool to transition, a more structure setting, but small enough to not be overwhelming. Their schedule and hours are flexible enough to work with my commute to/from Boston daily that also was hugely important. The Director, Ms. Ashita, has been lovely to deal with, her attitude and presence made me feel much more comfortable as a first time mom. Ms. Thelma is very engaging with the children, and seems to work well with them individually based on their personality and needs. Red House thus far has been great, and we look forward to watching our daughter grow and learn new things.

My daughter's experience at Inly School has been nothing short of life-changing ... not just for…read moreher, but for so many of her peers as well. It has been such a joy to watch her and her friends grow into poised, confident, thoughtful young people. One of the things that makes Inly so special is its emphasis on theater. And to be clear, theater is not just for "theater kids." It's for anyone who wants to succeed in life. Have you ever had to give a presentation at work? A theater background would help. Have you ever had to advocate for yourself to a boss or manager? Theater experience would help there too. Especially in today's fast-moving, AI-driven world, the people who stand out are those who are poised, strong communicators, and able to advocate for themselves. That is one of the greatest gifts Inly has given my daughter. We chose Inly seven years ago because every person we met who knew an Inly student had nothing but wonderful things to say about them. Now, I feel so proud and grateful to say that my daughter and her friends are part of that same group. I also want to briefly acknowledge some of the less positive reviews. I genuinely feel for families whose experiences may not have been what they hoped for. No school is the perfect fit for every child, and some of those criticisms may be valid. I can only speak from our experience, which has been overwhelmingly positive, and the growth in my daughter is evident every single day. There is also a new Head of School as of September 2025, and that leadership change has already brought meaningful improvements. There has been a clear effort to create more consistency in the quality of education across classrooms. Inly's student-led learning model has long been one of its greatest strengths, though at times that approach may have led to some inconsistency between levels, classes, and students. It is clear the school is actively working on that. What has not changed ... and has certainly not diminished ... is the magic of Inly and the remarkable education its students receive. If you have any doubts about whether Inly might be right for your family, talk to an Inly kid. They just might convince you.

During conversations with admissions staff, there was little room for meaningful dialogue or…read morequestions. Meetings often felt one-sided, with extensive talking at families rather than listening to them or engaging collaboratively. This imbalance in communication made the process feel more performative than genuinely collaborative, and made it difficult to view the process as student-centered when so little space was made for authentic family input.

You could not ask for a better pre-k & k experience for your child…read more I live 20 minutes away and drove all 3 of my children for 3 years each to attend Step Ahead. All 3 of my children had different learning styles and needs. 1 needed to be challenged: She raised the bar with cultural subjects -- Teaching about other countries, animals (turtles live in the classroom), time, history, music, movement, science, art, play and performances. My middle child needed more practical life skills (how to tie his shoes and put on his coat, prepare snacks and drinks, go to the bathroom without help, and clean up after himself) and Sensory/Self & Body Awareness - Linda saw a need here that year and brought in someone to teach the students (and teachers) Brain Gym (google it). My last was/is my most challenging, as she is extremely anxious/shy and has a non-verbal learning disability and auditory processing disorder. The 3rd year she was there, she received almost exclusive 1 on 1 teaching with Linda's classroom assistant teacher. All of the teachers are wonderful, they have all worked for Linda for years and therefor they all have great working and personal relationships. Currently my niece and nephew are students as are all of my cousins children and I am slightly jealous to not be a part of the school anymore. I miss Linda, Chris, Fran, Anne and Nancy! Your children will be in excellent hands! ..Important: They also have a summer program for working parents (or non-working parents) and every week in the summer there is a new theme and field trip. Noteworthy: When my oldest son went to 1st grade with another classmate from Step Ahead, the teacher didn't really know what to do with them because they were so far ahead of their peers.

12/8/2014 Being a…read moreteacher of many years I know a professional Preschool when I see one. My daughter has been at Step Ahead for 3 years and my son started this year. My children are happy and extremely well cared for by all the teachers. The owner and Kindergarten teacher Linda has been an absolute God send to me when it comes to helping me with the education of my two children. She knows the ability and needs of all her students. I choose this school over the public kindergarten because I see how my children have grown to love learning because Step Ahead is so well organized and enjoyable for the kids. My kids don't want to leave at the end of the day and I am always welcome to stay for a few minutes to talk to any of the staff about my children's day. These teachers and after school helpers are caring, bright, creative and the best!! I am a public school teacher of 15 years so I know great leaders and teachers when I see them!!

If you are looking for a pre-school where you can confidently leave you child then Little Willows…read morePre-Pees hook is for you. With moving back to the US we had to choose a year round Pre-School for our son that not only allowed him a safe place to be while we are working, but a place where he can learn, socialize, be active and learn a routine all rolled into one. I researched and viewed many Pre-Schools in the Quincy area and their price was very competitive and well worth every dollar. But what was nice they are right in the middle. Not too expensive nor cheap. Little Willows is not only that but more, finished with an excellent staff that cares for you little peanuts and their development as much as you do.

My son received "meets expectations" and "exceeds expectations" in all academic program areas on…read morehis first kindergarten report card. I believe my son was able to achieve that success because of the skills he developed at Little Willows Preschool. Little Willows Preschool worked hard to prepare my son for kindergarten, and I believe they were successful in doing so. Thank you, Ms. Ann, Ms. Lisa, and staff!