I absolutely love the First Friends program and staff! My daughter was 4 and needed a last minute preschool change so she started First Friends with one month left in the spring semester 2023. Everyone was so welcoming including the parents! Ms. Lois is truly amazing and I finally felt truly comfortable that my daughter was safe and in a nurturing environment compared to previous centers. The class size is small and I like the daily report at the end of the day. They make cute projects to make learning interesting. She enjoyed her one month so much there so I enrolled her in summer camps right after and she completed one full yr Fall '23 to Spring '24 until it was time for elementary school. She made so many friends and still keeps in touch with some even after entering a different school. She gained so much confidence and a great educational foundation that I believe helped her easily transition to kindergarten. I truly recommend this preschool! read more

I have a 2 year old son and a 1 year old daughter who has attended First Friends since she was 6 months old. It is great for kids, great for moms, and my husband loves how much the kids are flourishing there. I researched many Parent's day out programs in Houston, before deciding on First Friends and I am SO glad I did! My kids are so happy and thriving in this program. The teachers are nice, experienced, patient, and passionate about the kids. I love that I get a daily report on how their day was and the teachers are very communicative. The director is always at the door to greet parents at drop off and pick up and she is very involved. I am just so happy with this program. It is safe, clean, and my kids so happy every time they go, even more they are learning and gaining great social skills. They do so many activities that help with fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and they do so many crafts I'm amazed! From comments I have heard from other Mom friends it's seems that other MDO programs are more concerned with tuition than the kids and parents, that is not the case at First Friends. If you are looking for a MDO program check out First Friends you won't be disappointed! Your kids will love it and you will have peace of mind that they are safe and happy. All the other First Friends moms rave about the program and I have not heard anyone have any complaints! Most parents have had multiple kids go through the program. It is established and has a great reputation. I am so happy we found this school! read more

First Friends Parent's Day Out - Religious Schools Near Me - Houston, Texas

We love First Friends! My little one had previously attended a different Mothers Day Out program but they had decided to shut down for the 2020-2021 school year due to COVID, so I was left scrambling to find an alternative. The registration process was smooth and seamless. I really like that they use a curriculum (a step above our previous MDO which was more of a daycare than an educational environment.) The online payment system is very convenient and the teachers are wonderful. We just finished our first year here and are already enrolled for next year. read more

My son is 20 months and has been going to First Friends Parent's Day Out Program for almost 6 months. I love it!!! I was looking for a Parent's Day Out Program that was centrally located and affordable. With a little googling, I stumbled upon this program. I sent an email to the coordinator and received a quick response. Not only does she manage the program but her two young children are also in attendance. Its an intimate loving environment. Staff and parents know the children by name. My son is always happy to learn and play there. He embraces his teachers at drop-off. It feels great to know that your little one is so loved and cared for. I highly recommend this program to anyone looking for a part-time child care program. read more

Absolutely fantastic. My little one had such a great time here. A very good first experience with learning and making friends. It was really sad we had to leave. read more

Amanda and her team are such as amazing people. They care about your child and they focus on your child's needs. My daughter has been attending school for almost 2 years and I can see the advanced on her since day one. read more

After trouble with a nanny, I started searching for a good MDO program since we don't need full time child care. First Friends was the second MDO program that we visited and I was so impressed from the tour and conversation with the director. We're about to start our second year in the program for our now 2 and 4 year olds and our kids love it! So much creativity in the classrooms and an optional art/science enrichment class for potty trained kids is offered by one of the teachers on Wednesdays. Our kids are learning so much and have so much fun at school! read more

Lovely little place with small class sizes and loving teachers. The Pre-K program is very strong and really prepares kids for kindergarten.

We enjoyed every minute with First Friends. Loving, nurturing, secure environment. Fall festival and bingo night

I have a 4 year old and a 2 year old attending First Friends Preschool. We moved to Houston from Seattle WA in January and I was completely clueless about what school to enroll my kids in. I work part time, so I only needed part time care, but many mothers day out programs are too short for my needs offering just a couple hours 2 days a week. I found First Friends online, immediately was drawn to the two day a week/5 hour per day schedule, so I emailed Amanda the coordinator (she founded the entire preschool program and sends her two kids to FF -- she is so nice and very helpful). Amanda scheduled a meeting with me the following week and I enrolled my kids that very same day. Needless to say, I was blown away. This is not your typical "mothers day out" program where kids just play together while mom runs errands. This is a school, with a classroom setting and schedule. My daughters teacher told me many of the 4 year olds are reading already (my daughter is NOT, so I was a little nervous about that!), but what it says is that they are learning, they work hard and the teachers are actually teaching. My kids have only been there a month, but my 2 year old is speaking at least 20 more words than she did a month ago. I can actually understand her little sentences. It may just be an age thing, but I also truly think she has been learning and growing at FF. And not that this should matter when choosing a preschool, but the school decor is adorable! Every room has been custom painted with a story book theme, every thing is so well thought out. I love vintage touches, so I just find it all so cute, inspiring and lovely. I feel like this is an overlooked school if you are living in the Museum District/West U area, but it is so close to my house, even coming from that area. It doesn't ever take me more than 10 minutes to get there. One more note. At first sight, I thought the area looked a little bit run down. I'm not used to midtown or downtown Houston for that matter, so I was worried when I first google mapped it/ looked at the street view. In my experience, the school is very safe. The area around it is a college campus, so the majority of people standing around/walking are students. I didn't realize this at first and found it odd that so many people were waiting at a bus stop the first day I got there. If you have crossed this one off the list because of the location, I urge you to go visit, meet Amanda and learn more about the program. See it for yourself in person. It is a wonderful school. I actually got contacted by two other church schools in West U/River Oaks saying they had availability for my kids before I paid my first months deposit at First Friends (which was surprising because so many places have long wait lists), but I decided to stick with this one, even though the other schools were a little bit closer. First Friends is too good to pass up. I will keep my kids here until Kindergarten! read more

This is a positive learning environment for kids 6mo-5yrs old. The structure is based on the needs of your child's development, not a boxed in set curriculum. It gives the child the chance to explore and be themselves. My daughter has been attending school here 2 times a week for a month and we have seen her advance in so many ways. Not only does she remember what she learns, but she likes to call our family and tell them about the animals, shapes, body parts, colors, and more. She has made new friends and all of the little kids are so polite and well mannered. I love the fact that it is a Christian based learning environment and Pastor Mcclanahan is very hands on when helping out around the school. He teaches the kids and prays for them in the Chapel once per month. We have seen him taking the time to greet the parents in the morning, building playground equipment, even washing dishes. He always is there to lend a helping hand to his wife Amanda who is the Awesome Director of the school. Amanda takes the time out to get to know the children individually. She makes sure to establish a good working relationship with the parents and her teachers. They are so humble and down to earth, they are really some of the nicest people my family has met and that is the reason why my husband Reuben wanted our daughter to attend school at First Friends. Ms. Lisa teaches my daughter and is very hands on to all of the kids in the class. She gives off a positive energy and puts that love into my child. The first day dropping off my daughter was scary for me, but Amanda gave me peace by sending me a picture of my daughter fitting right in with the rest of the children. My daughter has such a good time that she doesn't want to leave. Many of the children feel that way and they tend to go out in front of the Church to the big open lawn and they continue to run and play. They give daily detailed notes about what they learned each day and how your child's day was. The school looks awesome with hand painted art all around the facility, it doesn't look thrown together, but well thought out and planned to excite the children's minds. I enjoy everything about this school and what they have to offer. I highly recommend you check them out and get on the waiting list because your child's life will forever be changed! Plus it gives my husband and I a chance to get a few things done with the peace of mind that our child is safe and ok, that is the biggest blessing of all! read more

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Fantastic! I definitely recommend all parents to take their children here. The teaches are amazing and the program is great!

My daughter has been attending First Friends since she was 7 months old, she is now 3! We love this MDO program! They have excellent teachers who care and nurture your child. The classes are small and incorporate art, music, and educational activities every class. She is learning so much! We couldn't be happier and my daughter loves going to school here! read more

I visited several other preschools/mother's day out programs in the area but it wasn't until I did my tour at First Friends that I knew that I had found the right school for my 2.5 year old daughter. I loved the hands-on learning and the learning through play that kids at every level get to do. I was also very impressed with the curriculum, organization, and the emphasis on the social development. First Friends has been a wonderful fit for our daughter and watching her grow and learn there has been awesome. read more

My daughter (2 yrs old) has attended First Friends MDO for four months. It is a wonderful little school with caring, devoted teachers. Amanda, the head of the program, is always available and on-site. They focus quite a bit on learning through art, and I am constantly amazed by the creativity displayed in the curriculum. I feel like my child is in wonderful hands when I leave her in the morning. When I come to pick her up she is always happy and excited to show me the day's project. I am so happy to have found this school (via an internet search and yelp of all places) and feel like it is a great place for my daughter to get her first taste of school. read more

We are so thankful to have found First Friends! Our two-year-old started here when he was 10 months old, shortly after the program was created. The director, Amanda, is smart and easy to work with, and she really cares about the quality of the program and well-being of the students. There are also opportunities for Parents Night Out (hooray date nights!) and monthly "mingles" to meet the other parents. It's also worth mentioning that the value of this program compared to comparable places inside the loop is unreal. We love how happy our son is to "go to school" and the friends he has made there. read more

I am very thankful for First Friends. Amanda runs a great program there and the teachers are all angels. I am a stay at home mom that just needed a few hours a week to run errands and do housework. They were the answer to my prayers! I feel 100% confident when leaving my 20 month old with her teachers, Lisa and Ellie. It took my daughter about a month to adjust to having care takers, but now she is so excited to go play at school. Love it and recommend them to all! read more

I was so happy to find this gem of a school in Houston! We moved to Houston (from Canada) in October 2012 and by the time we settled and started looking for a school (Dec/Jan) most were taking wait-lists for Sept 2013 or were too expensive for our single-income household. Amanda had an opening in Feb 2013 and I promptly took it after just talking to her over the phone and taking a 30min tour - she was so passionate about her program and what they had to offer; also she was a mother of two and her kids were in the program too. My daughter started out in the toddler class then by late-summer (once potty-trained) graduated to the Bluebirds (3yr-5yr olds). I am constantly amazed at what she has learnt through play, crafts, stories, and interacting with the other children (she has no siblings). Although it is a faith-based program, our non-religious family is comfortable with the program because they incorporate general teaching and topics (space, halloween, music, easter bunny, changing seasons, thanksgiving). With a small class to teacher ratio, I know my child is getting practically one-on-one attention all day while at school. Amanda has just started a Parents Night Out which is a great addition to the program - I am hesitant to leave my child with a babysitter, but now I can take her to 'school', an environment she and I are both comfortable with, and know she will have a great time with her friends while hubby and I have some couple time together. read more