Love its location but when school is closed it's over crowed with children ...the gym is not always…read moreavailable for basketball ....dont really like the location of the steam room and its co-Ed's deal...the men locker rooms needs an up grade.....

The Shady Grove YMCA is a pillar of this community. It is an excellent place for people of all ages…read moreto become better, healthier versions of themselves. Their childcare services are great for parents, and their youth sports programming is fantastic. They offer all different kinds of ways for you and your kid to be engaged.

Paid our deposit & submitted our paperwork over 3 months ago for our daughter to start this summer…read more(no waitlist) & received a call today that they no longer support the plan that they committed to for us. Refunded our deposit and offered to conveniently put us on the new waitlist for their new program. Very poor communication on their part & offered zero resolution besides making us start over on a new waitlist/making us pay more money. Extremely disappointed, clear that they don't care about the commitments they make to parents who need daycare services.

From the owner: We are so much more than just a daycare! Busy working families need childcare for their children…read morebut also desire a high-quality early childhood education program. Lightbridge Academy offers infant, toddler, preschool and back-up care programs. We want every child to feel safe, nurtured, and excited to learn and grow with us, and every family to consider us a true partner in the development and education of their child. We go beyond what's expected from daycare to create an exceptional early childhood education experience.

We LOVE robots and mudpies. I rave about this preschool to anyone that will listen. Our son…read morethrives here and we can't wait for our daughter to be old enough to attend in the fall. I truly think it's the best place in Richmond for kiddos 2-5. I wish my kids could go here forever. We are so thankful for the amazing staff and incredible care at this school. The kids get to learn by playing, being around other children both older and younger than them, different rooms set up for them, and the year is sort of made by the kids interest, they play outside, parents can volunteer and see how the days go, and we know all the kids and their families. It's a very safe, welcoming, and comfortable space to be. Couldn't recommend it more!

We've sent our son to RAMPP for the last two years, and it's been wonderful. The teachers are all…read moreso kind and welcoming to the children and their families. Our son has learned so much over the last two years, and we feel very prepared for kindergarten. This is such a unique environment as it's a smaller preschool but inside is full of so much for the kids to discover. Each day is truly different with the imaginative activities borne from the children's ideas. Our son always came home happy (and tired!), having had a full day each week. I can't say enough about how sweet these teachers are, and how respectful and kind they treat the children. The teachers send pictures so you get to see what they're doing each day. We will miss robots and mud pies, and would highly recommend it.

When we were hit with some changes to our current child care situation, it prompted us to begin a…read moresearch for other options because mama needs consistency. I wasn't looking for childcare in the Short Pump area because for us, the location has us backtracking based on where we live and work, but I decided to pop in anyway. I am so glad that I did. I grew up going to daycare and loved it, but let me tell you it has come a LONG long way since those days. I popped in to TLE unannounced and the director was still happy to give me a tour and tell me all about their center. The children were napping, so it was quite a productive tour. I got to see my son's potential classroom, meet his teacher (who was lovely and made a great impression), and I was already liking what I saw. But! Then, when she showed me the indoor play areas and gym, I was sold. I've never seen anything like this before. It is like an actual children's museum inside the daycare. They bring in tons of extracurricular activities for the children, teach them sign language and Spanish, have a great schedule with tons of room for reading and play. It checked all the boxes for me. It's pricey, but not moreso than any of the other big names in town. And, also, they have flexible options which is PERFECT for us because we don't need 5 day a week care right now. Most places don't have that option. When I toured, I felt excited and eager to be able to give my child the opportunity to attend. We are planning to enroll him to start immediately, short of any unforeseen life circumstances. Even if something came up and we didn't, I would highly recommend this daycare to anyone in the area.

AVOID AVOID AVOID I…read morepulled my daughter, 4 at the time, out of this daycare last year around May. It is now March 2025 and it's still bothering me and I'm still mortified by what I saw and I need to warn parents. One random weekday I decided to pick my daughter up early so we can have a girl-date. I showed up without letting the teachers or anyone know, walked in and said I was picking my child up early to the front desk. They said that's fine and I went through the door (after scanning my card). What I saw was heartbreaking. "Class" was in session for the pre-pre-k (2-3yo I think) class which I had to walk past in order to reach my daughter's class. There are windows that stretch through the hallway so you can see in the classroom. Clearly they didn't see me. I saw the kids all sitting in a strange silence except one little curly haired black/mixed boy. He was clearly having a meltdown, crying with tears streaming down his face. The teacher visibly was yelling in his ear with so much anger in her eyes. I can tell she was threatening him, something scary. She looked so angry and the little boy looked so helpless. There was another staff member there who looked at the teacher and didn't say anything. I hesitantly kept watching and slowly walking past, the teacher did not look up and at this point she forcibly grabbed him by his arms and sat him down on the chair with the rest of the kids. The boy was still visibly crying. She was still in his ears visibly angry. I grabbed my daughter, her class was sitting together while the teacher paced around their table I guess quizzing them? She didn't smile when she saw me, she didn't look friendly. (They never did honestly) I wish I never enrolled her here. I pray that they never mistreated her, but based off the other comments I'm now thinking it's very likely. My daughter was also newly turned 4, and wearing pull-ups because she was having accidents. They told me she wasn't allowed to wear pull-ups. This place needs to be shut down. I wish anyone who is in search of a daycare center and is considering this one stays far away. If you're in the short pump area don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

Our daughter has been here for three years and she loves it! The teachers are great and my daughter…read morehas learned so much. They also take security seriously.

We are on our 4th year at TLCP and will stay another 3! Our kids have had very loving teachers and…read morewhat they have learned is very apparent- from independent sleep skills and social manners, to writing practice and K prep. I love that it is smaller than other centers and has a more close-knit feel. The new playground for toddlers & 2's is lovely with a shaded cover and no mulch. There's a large multipurpose room that they use like an indoor gym when the weather is poor. There was a lot of staff turnover the past 1-2 years, but they are now in a good groove and all seem to work well as a team.

Our family has had a wonderful experience at The Goddard School and send both of our kids (1 year…read moreold and 3 year old) for full time school. The administration has always been quick to answer our questions and has done such a great job managing during COVID. They even coordinate and organize halloween, holiday and valentines parties with zoom dial in for the parents. I feel like even despite the challenges of COVID regulations they are making every effort for school to feel normal for kids and still provide the best experience for families. I am really impressed by their poise and level of service they continue to provide. The teachers are top notch and provide enriching activities and curriculum for our kids. The tenure is always very good. Most of the teachers are long time Goddard teachers. They are always available for parent teacher conferences very family and child oriented. We always feel our questions are answered with care and concern and feel very lucky to have found a school we trust to enrich our kids lives while we work!

I'm not sure what the situation was with this other post, but my family has had a dramatically…read moredifferent experience at the Goddard school. My daughter started at Goddard at 3 months old. I was torn about returning to work at all, and the only reason I think I made it in the beginning was the amazing teachers in the baby room, Miss Lisa and Miss Cara. You always worry that the teachers won't care about your baby, but I never felt like that with them. They were exceptionally helpful with at home ideas such as feeding solids, bottles, naps, etc and would always go the extra mile to break down my daughters day (how she did, if she didn't seem to feel quite right, etc) They were always smiling, interactive and working with the children on sitting, standing, reading, walking - as much as anyone can in a setting like this. In the next two rooms, 12-15 months and 15 months - 24 months, Ava also had amazing teachers in Miss Sara, Miss Michelle, and Miss Carol. I will be honest and say Ava also had one other teacher I did not care for, but that teacher left shortly after Ava moved to one of the rooms and I really believe 5/6 amazing teachers at any daycare is pretty good odds. Their turnover seems relatively low for a daycare setting (you always have some turn over, but many of the teachers I mentioned have been there for 3+ years, miss Lisa for over 10) They were always willing to work with my schedule as I transitioned from working full time to part time daycare. I really appreciated their motto that once you're family, you're always family and they really worked with us to keep my child at daycare part time. Sure, there were some menial cons (don't serve lunch at the school), 12-15 month old classroom is small, but to me it's much more important that the teachers love my child than small nuisances about any school. I can't speak to the classrooms above 2 years old, but if you're looking for a school for your little one, I highly recommend this Goddard.