My review is based on the OLD owners. Lil Rascals went under new ownership in May…read more My son started at Lil Rascals in late December and after him attending for a month I felt like I had finally found childcare I would use until he started kindergarten. My main concerns were that my child felt loved, safe and happy and Lil Rascals accomplished this. My son absolutely loved going to "school" everyday (and he is not a social butterfly). He loved his teachers and his classmates. The hours were great at 6:30-6. The cost was in line with the area. In late April we were informed lil rascals was going under new ownership. It appeared the philosophy changed as curriculum being a priority. The price more than doubled for my son as a full time attendee at $10 per hour and the hours were cut from 7am to 5pm. My son no longer attends lil rascals.

All 3 of my kids attended Li'l Rascals. It's a fantastic place with a great staff who cares about…read moreyour kids. Highly recommended.

A great childcare! My three kids went there. The best infant care classes around. And my sons…read moreloved the summer camp. Mary, the owner is the best!

They get one star for some of the nice people there but overall I can not even express the level of…read moredisappointment I have. My children were constantly sick, it was disorganized, they couldn't follow directions about my children. My son was bitten and NO ONE told me about it until I asked what happened. Also, the camera system network was overloaded and had serious blind spots that the teachers would hang out in. Even though we are no longer with them I can still access it which says a lot about their security. I probably would have just parted ways and quietly went on our way, my son did learn some things there and did make some friends. However, they informed me two weeks after we left and over two months after the fact that I had missed a payment. The owner refused to return any phone calls to my husband on the matter and they sent it to collections adding over $100 in additional fees to the original balance. After I found the receipt for the week in question they supposedly rectified it with the collection people however they had previously told my husband they couldn't do anything about it once it was in collections. So we can just add lying and misdirection to the heap. No one has offered an apology and instead of addressing my complaints they just deleted my review on Facebook. Both of which would have gone a long way in rectifying this situation and leaving my husband and I with a more complacent view of them.

This is the absolute best place to send your child. It feels more like a family than anything…read moreelse. All the staff are amazing and the children are provided with quality education at all learning levels.

I had my son in a different prek and it was the worst experience we ever had. My son is 3 years old…read moreand a friend recommended me Spring Ahead Academy, I was desperate so I tried. It was the best decision. The place is clean, the teachers are amazing and all the staff and services are outstanding. My son loves going to school and loves every member of the staff. I don't have enough words to describe how happy we are we was able to get my son in this beautiful school. We appreciate every effort they put into teaching and preparing our children for school. We love them and thank them from our harts.

I couldn't have found a better daycare! I wouldn't even call it a daycare, it's like going to…read morePre-K! My daughter loves it and so do I! Mrs. Cheryl is so sweet and kind & we can have a conversation for hours! It's always a delight! My now just turned- 5 yr old daughter has learned SOOOO much in a matter of just a few months... she already knows how to spell her name, all her alphabet, knows how to count all her numbers, the sounds each letter makes, I'm just so blessed to have found her! And it's in the comfort of her own home so it's a very homey feeling! Every time my daughter leaves when I pick her up, she always gives her a hug !!! Definitely recommend having your kids going to her!!!!!! I wish I could rate this 100 stars !

Ms. Cheryl is absolutely amazing! My son just thrived while in her care! He was with her for 2…read moreyears and was so sad to leave! Her curriculum helped prepare my son for kindergarten and then some! When in kindergarten he was pushed up to 1st grade level math and reading! If you are on the fence...don't be! This place is a great place for your child! If God had blessed me with more kids, they'd all have been with her! Xoxo

Our son has been enrolled at the Montessori Academy for pre-school and a summer session. He has…read moreabsolutely thrived and learned so much; we are so happy with his experience here. Fast forward to our local kindergarten enrollment and he is extremely well equipped to tackle kindergarten. When most kids are just learning to put together words, he is already reading and writing. While YMMV, we have been very happy with our son's experience at the Montessori Academy. It is a small school with a low student to faculty ratio. There is a lot of individualized attention that I think is key component to the kids' successful learning experience.

From the owner: Montessori Academy Of NWI provides Montessori trained and certified teachers to teach toddler,…read morepreschool, kindergarten, and after school care to the Merrillville, In area.

Many reviews speak of the director as being mean and dishonest! I definitely agree!! She has no…read morebusiness working with children. There is a high turnover with employees, they are always closing due to staff issues or changing hours. There are a few good staff. One being Tiffany as she was the only reason we stayed. It is affordable compared to most daycares in the area but you get what you pay for.

Updating my review due to recent information…read more As time goes on, it appears that World Of Rainbows is a daycare straight out of 1987. Logs of activity, bathroom breaks and naps are scribbled on paper that has been Xeroxed so many times you can't read it. The sign in sheets look like they were made on the world's first copy machine. Furniture and toys seem archaic. Before we launch into the ugly, here are the good and the bad: GOOD: The employees are very nice. They seem to be patient and good with children. BAD: Without any new technology, it's not only hard to know what's going on at the daycare, but it's light-years behind other centers. There are no video cameras you can view when you're away. You cannot view your child's log online. You can hardly contact the center: when I call, over 50% of the time I get an answering machine. I have emailed them and never received replies. I feel like the center is allergic to technology. Monthly calendars are hand-written and Xeroxed. So are notifications and postings. UGLY: The owner seems to be completely out of touch with how to run a daycare. My assumption is she is running things EXACTLY the same as she did 30 years ago and turns a blind eye to any new technology, processes and regulations. I'm kind of surprised they're still open. The state regulations by the State of Indiana are clearly posted online. Meal schedules have to be posted. I've come in on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and no schedule exists for the current week. The state of Indiana regulates that if any child exhibits signs of sleepiness (laying down, putting their heads down, rubbing their eyes), that they should be offered the option to lay down even if it's outside of naptime. This daycare WILL NOT ALLOW THIS. If your child is sleepy and wants an extra nap, they are forced to stay awake. On a similar note, during nap time, children are forced to lay on their cots for 45 minutes. The state regulates that if they lay down for 30 minutes and do not show signs of sleepiness, they are to be given an activity of some sort. World of Rainbows takes it upon themselves to force an extra 15 minutes on these children. If you want your child to adhere to a special diet, although they allow you to bring in food for very young and older children, you are not allowed to bring in any food for your toddler. They will be forced to eat what the center provides and the only exceptions include doctors' notes or notarized religious documentation. The center owner claims this is State-regulated but that's completely untrue. If the parents provide a different meal for their child (paid for by the parents), there is no reason why it cannot be served to their child. The center may ban things such as peanut butter due to allergies, but the center can approve specific items that you can bring in for your child. Lastly, even if you're full time, you cannot take your child out of the center and bring them back. Scenario: my child had a doctor's appointment during the day. This was a check-up, not due to illness. I picked him up for his 10am appt and was not allowed to bring him back in after the appointment even though I pay full-time. Every problem with this daycare stems from the owner. She'd rather be dishonest than simply say, "no, this is too much work and we don't feel like being accommodating." Don't hide behind the lie that the state forces you do to things: if anything, you are much stricter and care less about children than the state mandates. I would steer clear of this center. There are plenty of other places in the surrounding areas that will allow your toddler to lie down when they are tired and will allow you to provide the food you'd like your child to eat. Last note: My son fell and hit his head recently. No one documented this and no one told me. I had to ask the NEXT DAY and only when I asked a teacher directly was I told what happened. We all know kids fall and hurt themselves. However, hiding this from their parents is extremely serious.

I am thrilled with this daycare facility…read more My daughter is a year old and Bright Beginner's Academy's toddler room begins with children 12 months and up. Before touring, I contacted the center's director, Kelly. She is quick with email and happy to answer any question you may have. After a string of emails, I scheduled an appointment to tour the daycare. I was thrilled to receive an email confirmation of the date and time of the tour (it indicated to me that they are not only on top of things, but also technologically-friendly) and my husband and I showed up for the tour. Rachel greeted us at the door and walked us through a day in the toddler room. The room is well lit, clean, and spacious. The toys looked new and even with children around, they were well organized. Rachel also explained an app to us called Brightwheel: it's a wonderful tool that gives you the feeling of a connection to your child all day long. Of course it's hard to leave your child anywhere, but all day long you receive updates: potty activity, meals, naps, pictures and videos. I cannot tell you the joy I felt when I saw my daughter playing outside with the other kids during her very first week. The teachers there are very sweet and they are wonderful with children. I cannot tell you what I sigh of relief I breathed after our first week here. My daughter is always in a good mood when she comes home and I truly feel like she's in good hands here.

I love bringing my daughter here. The staff is great. Always professional and kind. They treat my…read moredaughter like their own. The building is always clean and I never have to worry when I leave. 10/10!