I wanted to respond to Anon Y review which unfairly criticizes Eco Kids. My son has been attending there for four years and in that time I never heard a teacher bad mouth a child. Actually one of the reasons I kept him there even after moving further away is because of the great relationship he has with all of the teachers. I have made it a point of asking him from time to time is the teachers are mean and his reply is that they are nice and his best friends. Almost every day I have a hard time getting him to leave because he wants to stay at school longer. The teachers are friendly, sweet and loving toward all of the children. It is unfair to characterize them as a "nasty group of women." Being by a gas station doesn't take away from the fresh and mostly organic food that is served every day. Anon Y gives the impression that she doesn't play a role in helping her child learn. My son knew his alphabet, numbers to 10 and the primary colors and shapes by the age of 18 months. That was also due to us practicing at home, which you need to do no matter what school a child is in. My child is three and speaks in complete sentences and is beginning to come up with his own made up stories. He knows his planets and beginning to do math. I urge you to decide for yourself if Eco Kids has the positive environment to help your child learn and develop into a confident child. read more

Eco Kids Preschool - The fall festival is one of the activities that gives parents a chance to interact with the staff and your child's school friends. - Child Care & Day Care Near Me - Austin, Texas

Do not send your infant to ECO-KIDS!! They over promise and under deliver. The first day of school they fed my 7 month old daughter french fries. They discourage parents from visiting their children during the day to the point that they LOCK THE DOORS to all parents during certain hours. If you plan on breastfeeding, know that the breastfeeding room is also the employee break/nap room and smells like old curry and arm pits. The infant teachers and director have very low communication and problem solving skills. The daily infant sheets are optional and rarely filled out completely. The "healthy and organic food" they rave about is actually chicken nuggets and french fries but you really wouldn't know what they are feeding your child because they will write "food" on the daily sheet rather then specifics. Don't dare inquire about anything, have any concerns, or worry about your child because the director will smile in your face, tell you they solved the issues and do absolutely nothing to help you. I encourage parents to review schools first by looking at DFPS before sending your kids. There is a reason that ECO-KIDS has so many violations and that many of those are for not having a "qualified director." The place lacks management. I gave 2 stars because the place is VERY clean and some of the older ladies that work there are really very sweet even though they are often overwhelmed. read more

I wanted to write a review after my son had attended for multiple months. He started in the infant room and is now in the toddler room. So here is my take on Eco Kids: My son loves to eat, so the food served is a big part of why I chose this daycare. Nothing is out of a can and food is always prepared fresh. To the woman who said they gave her daughter fries, yes, they do serve fries, but they're hand cut fresh produce baked that day...not frozen or fried. I've been there for lunches and I've seen the food cart after snack time. There are always fruits and veggies at every meal and I love that. They do lock the doors, but if you have your card key (that they provide you with) you can get in at any time. I've gone in several times to pick up my son to go to a doctors appointment that I forgot to mention and have never had an issue getting in. The facility is always very clean and there have even been instances that we accidentally left a blanket or bear and when we retrieve the item it's been laundered for us. (gotta love that!) Seeing as how I use 'green' products at home to clean with, the fact that the daycare also uses green products is an added bonus. I've walked into many day cares only to be over powered with smells of bleach, fabuloso or some other cleaning agent. Over all I find Eco Kids to be a very clean, well organized, healthy and loving environment for my son. All of the staff knows my son by name and even his favorite foods. I enjoy watching my son grow socially and mentally while under the care of his teachers. If I had one complaint it would be the playground. It's not much to look at, but it has plenty of toys and vehicles for the kids to play on. My daughter went to a different daycare when she was younger and she did nothing but play in the dirt anyways. read more

My grandson is currently enrolled in Ecokids. Numerous incidents have occurred and the school never notified his parents not myself. The location is terrible, the staff is unprofessional and unreliable. Take it from a concerned grandmother beware and avoid Ecokids. We cannot find a replacement daycare fast enough. It was a huge mistake enrolling him in Ecokids. Don't even consider Ecokids for your kids if you want a them to be happy. Really the staff at this place needs to be evaluated and investigated. read more

We visited 6 Pre-Schools before deciding on Eco Kids. It was the one that we ultimately felt the best about. Its hard to put into words but the feeling that we got when we visited and watched the children interact with each other and the teachers ultimately was the most important factor in our decision. Our daughter started at Eco-Kids when she was 4 Months old. Immediately she fell in love with the place and so did we. Her teachers all cared so much about her and it showed. She reached for them when we dropped her off and blossomed during her time there. The director, Mr. Clary, is such an amazing resource for 1st time parents and he goes way out of his way to help in any way he can. After reading the other reviews on this site I'm a little shocked to see some of the specific complaints about the food, the locked front door, and mention of unreported incidents. 1) We've always been happy with the level of detail in the reports about what our daughter ate each day and satisfied with the ORGANIC choices, perhaps other parent's are pickier their children's organic eating habits. 2) I've very happy the front door can only be oopened by Electronic Key Card, this was the case at 3 of the 6 childcare centers we visited. Seem's prudent to me... 3) Incident reporting was always clear and prompt, the day to day bumps and bruises always included an explanation, and (an embarrassingly large amount of) incident reports were provided during our daughter's biting phase. I can't say enough good things about Eco-Kids. Our family was blessed to have been a part of it. read more

The staff and director at Ecokids are truly unbelievable. The things the say and do are really excessively controlling and simply unacceptable. They would not let my child eat the lunch that I packed for him. The way the daycare is ran I am surprised it has not been forced to shut down. The way this place is ran is really sad. If you want the best for your child avoid this place like the plague. read more

I have two kids that have been with this school for over two years and I have been pleased with the amount of progress they have made since starting Eco kids. My 4 yr old will start kindergarten this fall and she is already reading! My 2 yr old can formulate complete sentences that are beyond his age level and it's safe to say that it is because of the Eco Kids learning program. They adore their teachers. And I Love how the teachers keep me in the loop by sending me cute pictures of my kids working on activities and having fun. It's nice to see the teachers at the kids birthday parties on the weekends. The staff goes above and beyond for all the children and for that I am grateful. I strongly recommend this school. read more

We are extremely pleased with EcoKids as our son's pre-school. The facility is clean and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. We like the organic nature of the menu and the school's approach to sustainability. Our son has thrived in his Pre-preschool class and we couldn't be happier with how much he likes his teachers, classmates and the activities. We highly recommend EcoKids. read more

My two sons have been at Eco Kids for the last year in the infant and pre-primary room. I highly recommend this location for you child care needs. My infant was not an easy child to care for, but they worked with us and now he is a toddler that loves going to school. My older son has grown so much going to school here. His self-help skills have soared over the past year. The first time he put his dishes in the sink without being asked, I was shocked! They also do really creative activities and lessons. It's a small school with a lot of cooperative support between the teachers, and the director is very supportive and communicative. Great school! read more

I simply have found a hidden gem with Eco Kids Preschool. Let me start off by saying that I am as picky as they come when it comes to anything that has to do with my son, especially his child care and early education. This school is more than incredible. They implement integrity in these children. They encourage them to learn at their own pace. They instill confidence in them. This school has an incredible curriculum that is extremely impressive. They also teach the children about the world. About compassion for animals. About kindness. Not only is this school great on paper: being the only certified eco friendly preschool in Austin, all organic food provided for the children including snacks and hot home cooked lunch, affordable, immaculately clean using chemical free products, etc, but it also exceeds my expectations on every other level as well. The owner and operator of the school, Albert Clary, is the kind of man who puts his whole heart and soul into these children. He somehow manages to know every detail about each individual child, including their progress in the curriculum, their fears, their joys, their funny quirks... he can tell when something is wrong and he will tend to them like they're his own. His integrity is unmatchable. He cooks all their lunches and provides fresh organic fruits and vegetables with every snack and lunch. He dances with them and gets on the floor and plays with them. Mr. Clary has created a school to where I can leave my precious 3 year old son there during the day when I go to work, knowing IN MY HEART, that he is in the best of hands. I will always feel guilty for leaving my son for 8 hours a day 5 days a week. But at least I know that my son is benefiting so much in those 8 hours. I truly can't speak highly enough of Mr. Clary. His intentions are genuine and his heart is pure. He wants these children to succeed. My sons teacher, Miss Latisha, well she is just as kind and caring and patient as they come. She loves these children. She appreciates them. She adores them and they adore her. This school has been a blessing. My son has been in many different schools, and I told myself I will never settle when it comes to my sons education and early childhood care. So I kept searching. And I found Eco Kids and I thank God I did. This school has the perfect balance of structure and play. I would recommend this school to any parent who has high expectations FOR their children, and high expectations FROM their children. I would recommend this school to any parent whose dreams for their children include them being good people in the future....Because this school will do so many things for your child including shaping them into intelligent, accountable, and compassionate little people read more

We love Ecokids! My son is happy to arrive each day and we know he is in a great, happy, learning and growing environment.

A few facts about Eco-Kids: - You will rarely, if ever, get the opportunity to communicate with your child's teacher(s). They do not use email and will not return phone calls. Daily communication is typically done by the Director, currently Albert Clary. The conversations with him will not make it down to the teachers. - Lack of communication results in behavioral issues that can escalate quickly and become more difficult to solve. - You get an electronic key card which will open the front door at specified hours. The doors will NOT open, even if you have the card, after a specific time in the morning. We were informed this was to prevent the disruption of learning to the other students and to encourage parents to get their child to school on time. - You can provide sunscreen and bug spray, but that does not guarantee they will be used. Our last bottles were never opened after the school having them for many months. My son has scars on his legs from the mosquito bites. - They claim to feed organic food, but the containers labeled "organic" are refilled with non-organic items. - On the days you send a snack or lunch, at the school's request, the teachers determine whether or not the child gets to eat the items packed. This can be as arbitrary as them not letting your child eat yogurt because a spoon was not packed, even though the school has spoons. - All of the teachers are NOT notified of a child's allergy, which can be potentially dangerous and life threatening. - Behavior management is handled through extensive use of time out and classroom exclusion. They have been cited for yelling at children and parents. They will not work with the parent or the child to determine the cause of the problematic behavior. - The school handbook is not followed by the school. For example, the handbook states the benefits of a child having a transitional item at school. Eco-Kids will refuse to allow your child to bring one. - Staff turnover rate is high. I strongly recommend you read the Yelp reviews that "Are not currently recommended", located at the bottom of the review page and the DFPS website on this school: http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/Search_Texas_Child_Care/CCLNET/Source/Provider/ppComplianceHistory.aspx?fid=977348&wgt=5&tab=2 read more

Where do I possibly begin? Do I start with a rate based on cleanliness?, employees?, or the possible fact this place is overall horrible! Do not, and I repeat DO NOT bring your kids here! There's a reason you get $50 Off applicants. First off the staff is horrible, not all but yes, most. I have dropped my child off numerous occasions into the, what they call "gym", and will step out to step out as I've said my goodbye's and have caught teachers talking badly about not just my, but other kids. They will gossip about your kids in front of them. Just because they can't quite understand what you're saying doesn't mean to. Once the parents drop off it's a complete talk show. I have NEVER In my life Heard such negative talk about children by a group of grown adults ! If I could rate this place any lower Believe me I WOULD. They're a nasty group of women. Their boss, a man, yeah go figure, is no better. I've heard him chatting with employees about such IN FRONT of the children. Secondly, this place isn't so "Eco Friendly", like really what makes them eco friendly besides their name? This daycare is right next to a gas station. It's in a location you'd find a nail salon, or a cheap Chinese take out, but a daycare? My God no. When receiving my child's daily sheet times are made up. My child is continuously coming home in wet diapers and rashes that were never there. They don't change their children, they let them sit in whether it be pee or poop, until it seeps through their clothing and is put in a trash bag to go home in. No kind of explanation or reasoning just a bag of my child's wet or soiled clothes. Thirdly, have yall really looked at how clean this place was? There is mark and dings all over the wall, kids putting all sorts of things in their mouth and the teachers just throw it back into the play buckets. No sanitation whatsoever. I even caught a big water bug, aka a big ass cockroach just streaming in a classroom. This place deserves to be shut down. It's filthy and very unprofessional. Why when I pick my child up ALL the teachers are in the hallways outside of their classrooms gossiping and talking but as soon as I'm seen, "Hi how are you"? I don't understand this place. Please save your money and go elsewhere. Don't let me forget that I witness a woman put her hands on a child when he laid in a corner and received a spank to the butt from a teacher. There are some teachers here that have potential and would love to see elsewhere but not this zoo. The manager of the place, Albert Clary, will leave on numerous occasions to god knows where. Who is really in charge here? As soon as I can I'm out of this place. I'd rather take my chances elsewhere. Teachers taking phone calls, on their cellular devices when they should be watching my child! My child is sleeping 12:30pm to 3:30pm sometimes 4, why do they need a 3 1/2 hr nap? Do you not understand how hard it is to get them back down for rest. Do they really need to nap that long or do y'all want a grace period of free time. I don't know what else to say but this place is 0 stars from me. My child has shown NO improvement in colors, shapes, the alphabet, nothing. In all honestly I feel my child is now slower and behind due to this reasoning. Ladies And Gentlemen I present the WORST possible daycare you could possibly bring your child to in Austin. I feel miserable for the other parents as they are blind to such situation. read more

My daughter has gone to Eco Kids for over a year, and we absolutely love it. The staff there are incredible with her. I could tell that Eco Kids was a great place for her, because every day that I dropped her off, she was excited to go to her classroom and see her teachers. She would immediately start playing and pretty much ignore me. When I picked her up she was equally happy- usually running to show me some toy in her playroom. Her teachers went well out of their way to make sure that she and I were both happy and comfortable. They were happy to make her bottles of breastmilk that I brought to school, and as she got older they were patient with feeding her lots of different kinds of food, even though she is not a great eater. They always updated me on how much she slept and ate, even after she was a year old. Each time I picked her up and dropped her off, her teachers would talk to me about how she was doing, how her day was, and they would let me know if there was anything that any of us could do to keep her comfortable. Sometimes they would even text me pictures of her during the day! It was really great, and I felt like I could reach out to them with anything that either she or I needed help with. I really could not recommend this place enough. read more