My daughter started a little later than most children at 3 and I was so nervous because she was…read morehome with me since birth. The staff at children's playhouse daycare were super supportive in helping us to transition her into being in daycare. They cook their meals in house and are always accommodating if I ever had schedule changes and my daughter had grown and learned so much in her 3 years there. The teachers and staff are great with the kids and if there was ever any concern are always open to help. She was also able to attend kindergarten full time which is great I definitely recommend

I can't recommend Children's Playhouse more. We started bringing our daughter here when she was…read more8-weeks-old in 2019, and they made us feel so welcome and comfortable. Our daughter has thrived at this daycare, and we have loved all of her teachers. The small classrooms and individual attention from the teachers is a huge perk, and they helped my daughter accomplish many milestones. It was amazing watching her come home having learned new skills and words at daycare. A HUGE perk is that CPD provides breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack, which meant I never had to worry about packing food, and she was exposed to a wide variety of foods every day. We made the difficult decision to move out-of-state in early 2021, and the hardest part was knowing we wouldn't be able to send our daughter to CPD anymore. Of note, CPD took great precautions after they were allowed to re-open in 2020 during the COVID pandemic, and we we always felt comfortable bringing our daughter there, even during this otherwise uneasy time. We love CPD and if they ever opened a location in Southeast NH, we'd be the first in line to enroll.

They are the sweetest daycare facility ever. We switched from their Belmont location (We do not…read morerecommend the Belmont location). The Belmont location was small, teachers allowed another kid to bite our 9 month old x2 in one week and we switched locations right away. I was told the teachers have been "switched" around which is great but I still do not recommend. But this Arlington location... is AMAZING! They are incredibly attentive, organized, sweet and do a fantastic job! Thank you for all that you do!

My son has been with Sheila Vanessa and the rest of the Arlington Little Sprouts teachers since…read moreJuly 2021. I am so thankful for all of their love and support! They have a genuine love for each one of their children and their families! They have been awesome about communication and are very intuitive to the children in their care! They send me awesome pictures of my son doing fun activities and they really brighten my day! I am thankful for the whole Arlington Little Sprouts Team!

My 3 month old son was under Ly's care until a spot in a daycare within walking distance of my…read morehouse opened up. If we were a two-car family I absolutely would have kept him with Ly rather than moving him. I found her to be super knowledgeable and caring, and the kids under her care are happy and healthy. Her hours are awesome for working parents and her rates can't be beat. Definitely bummed we couldn't stay with her for longer - miss you, Ly!

My daughter's been going here for over 2 years now, and absolutely loves it. I couldn't imagine a…read morebetter daycare to send her to! Ly's taken her many years of experience and turned them into a warm environment that mixes learning and fun. There are many different toys and pretend-play items, and the kids enjoy plenty of time outside in her large backyard and occasional field trips to Spy Pond park. They also follow a curriculum that's tailored to each age range and focused on particular colors, shapes, letters, numbers, and words each month. Ly integrates them into their daily activities and makes learning fun for them! She also tries to incorporate different cultures on a regular basis through music, meals, and stories. Who knew you could get a 2 year old to eat so many ethnic dishes? Ly's consistently been a great resource to me as a new parent- she provides regular status updates/progress reports, and takes the time to answer any questions I have and offer advice on anything from teething to potty training! Her experience has been such an asset- she knows all of the tell-tale signs of various development stages and illnesses, which has helped me to be proactive. Mike also brings a ton of experience and insights to the table, and is just as helpful. Above all, it's clear that Ly truly loves the work she does. She treats each child as if they were her own, and as a mother, it's amazing to see that bond and know that my daughter is in good hands, happy, and loved while I'm at work every day.

I know it is only our third day at the Northpoint location, but I'm already in love…read more How did we get so lucky? This preschool is by-the-books perfect and if our 13 month could talk, he'd say "DAH" which means "I'm so happy here!" POTA is a Jewish preschool, modeled on the Reggio Emillia philosophy of letting children explore and experience rather than passively learn. This has been great to witness, as my son was in a different daycare for two weeks and while I liked the arts component there, he was more often following along and watching than going after the things that intrigued him. POTA has so many sensory exploration stations, and quiet nooks, plus big windows, wooden furniture and floors and colorful art all around. There are currently 6 kids in his class and 3 teachers, though there is room for up to 9 students at a time. Every day is a different art module. Today I was able to sit in during music with Mr. Owen, which was a short, sweet session of songs, movement, shakers and a stuffed dinosaur. Afterwards, the kids were given permission to explore his guitar. The most comforting part of this experience so far, apart from the fact that my son doesn't cry when I pick him up (which is a new thing) but just smiles and seems excited to see me, is the STELLAR communication from the staff. We were able to FaceTime our tour even before we moved to the area. We have received prompt replies to all emails. We've been mailed fridge magnets with helpful dates for social activities - yes, community is also a strong value of this school, and not just for the children! - as well as a welcome card from the teachers. The daily reports are thoughtful and clearly reflect what my son has eaten, when he has slept and how it went, and how many times he's gone to the bathroom. It isn't a drop-down menu like similar apps that daycares use, so I feel like the teachers are really paying more attention to what they report. The directors are easily reached by text or phone and also so prompt in replying to every question I've had. Lastly, I appreciate that the kids are learning about Jewish Holidays and that the calendar aligns so that we can celebrate as a family and not have my son miss any school. The teachers are called "morah" which is the Hebrew word for "teacher", so there is a slight exposure to Hebrew which is great since that is my son's first language, so far as we can tell. That being said, I think students of any religious/cultural background would highly benefit from this warm, supportive, attention-to-detail, beautiful school. It is a treasure.

My son has been attending Cambridge Preschool of the Arts (POTA) for the last 2 years and my family…read moreis so grateful for the love, support, and attention he has been receiving from the Morahs (teachers) and friends (and their families) he made at POTA. POTA has a great art-based and Reggio-inspired core curriculum and the weekly programs help my son to have an idea what to expect each day of the week. At the same time, Morahs help my son to be able to participate in these activities at his own pace. If he doesn't want to join the class for a certain activity, he would be given a specified amount of time and separate space to focus on other things. Also, I like that those art activities are used as a means to learn essential skills, and children get to enjoy the process while not being pressured to produce a final product to bring home. In addition, POTA has a great environment to provide outdoor play opportunities for children who love outdoor activities like my son. It's conveniently located right across from the North Point Park and Charles river and my son enjoys outdoor playtime almost every day and weekly class to learn about nature. I also love how easy it is to communicate with the school. I get updates from school with photos/videos of my son enjoying school and also details on meals/potty, etc. through a phone app. I can easily send/receive messages to/from Morahs throughout the day. I remember how pleasantly surprised I was after receiving my son's very detailed progress report prepared by his Morahs and in fact, I learned new things about my child from the report such as how he behaves differently when in school or in a group setting and it helped me understand my son and his personality better! POTA has helped my son grow so much in every aspect and I'm so happy and grateful to have found this school for my son.

Cambridge Montessori School embraced both of my children and placed them at the center of the…read morelearning experience. They love going to this school and their CMS experience has taught them to love learning. My second grader interacts with adults gracefully and articulately because of the skills and confidence this schooling experience has given her. CMS has an excellent arts, music, and drama offering and the teachers encourage academic excellence. I would recommend CMS to any parent looking for a school that supports a curriculum that encourages independence and confidence in addition to accelerated learning.

The school culture is rigid and judgmental, with a culture of pathologizing normal toddler…read morebehavior. Some of the things that made us withdraw our 3yo mid-year: Despite a stated open-door policy, parents were actively discouraged from involvement in or visiting the classroom. In March, a formal school memo forbade parents from speaking to each other at drop-off/pickup, asked parents to drop their children off at the front door instead of at the classroom door, and instructed parents not to carry their children or their children's belongings. The memo specifically suggested that any discipline problems at home were caused by not following the same rigid "expectations" as the school. When our son was afraid to use the toilet at school, the teacher forced him to sit on the toilet for 45 min while he cried in frustration. He was criticized for not doing work exactly the way the teachers wanted (e.g. sorting puzzle in the "right" order). In a parent conference, we were told our son was "too literal" because asked where rain came from, he said "From the sky," not "From clouds." He was already reading and adding at 3, but we were told this, along with his shyness, were signs of a possible psychological problem. We were bullied to take him for autism screening, even after a specialist and our pediatrician said he was likely fine. Administration, up to the head of school, either ignored problems or blamed us. When we sent a formal letter detailing our complaints, the school offered us a partial tuition refund if we signed a nondisparagement agreement. We refused. We've since learned other families had similar experiences. If you click on Yelp's "non-recommended reviews"--which are weeded out by algorithm--you'll see that other families have made similar complaints.

When we were considering Lesley Ellis for preschool, we asked around on the playground, and just…read moreabout every parent we talked to told us, "It's excellent! The only negative is the cost." That matched our experience perfectly. The tuition is steep - though financial aid is available! - but everything else was fantastic, and we were consistently impressed with the teachers, curriculum, field trips, awareness of kids as individuals, interaction with administration, and more. My mom worked for decades in early childhood education, and (as an interested and involved grandparent) was also very impressed. They welcomed/encouraged heavy parent involvement, from "come into the classroom to talk about something you're knowledgeable/passionate about" to occasional parent-meetups-over-coffee in the morning and more. But I was never, ever made to feel guilty about not being able to participate heavily, which was the norm once we had our second kid. (Who also went to LES for preschool, once old enough.) We can't speak to their K-8 experience, but for preschool/pre-K/TK they were fantastic.

Lesley Ellis is an independent school from pre-school to grade 6, but expanding soon to 8th. Our…read moredaughter is in her third year there and we have been delighted with the program. The teachers are an outstanding group and attuned to the needs of each individual student. The administration is truly exceptional as they create an environment where parents, children and the school come together to form a nurturing and vibrant community.

We love this place. Our daughter started in infants and is now in toddlers. We tried to find a…read morecheaper option at one point but ended up deciding it's clear you get what you pay for. We couldn't leave and give up all the benefits now knowing how good things could be. The management and teachers at BH Mass Ave are superb. (They also bring in a professional musician/puppeteer for their music enrichment sessions.) We are alerted when even small minor incidents happen. There is an app which sends pictures and updates throughout the day. Our daughter loves her teachers which is so heart warming. We were referred to this location by our pediatrician who highly recommended the management (Daniella). After attending over a year, we would make the same recommendation. The only negative is the price. That said, they seem to have higher grade staff than some of the other places we have visited, which makes me happy if they are getting paid more. They definitely also have higher grade programming and classroom resources than other locations we saw. The facility is always clean etc. Highly recommended.

If we could this place a zero star, we would. Extremely poorly managed. So glad our son does not go…read morethere anymore! Would not recommend!

I am the owner of Little Ducks Daycare in Belmont, I have heard nothing but great things about this…read moreschool. This program provides a free location for the rest of us in the area to get our CPR and first aide certifications. Without this we would all be scrambling for classes during work hours. I just wanted to say Thank you for providing the space for Mr. S to provide us with a required and much needed class. Also heard wonderful things about your programs.

Our daughter was a student at Adventures Preschool for 11 months, and it was a wonderful experience…read morefor both her and our family as a whole. Though this is a large daycare center, the care that the children receive is personalized, and caring. Our daughter was well known to teachers throughout the scho, and administrative staff. We never felt like a number here. We loved her classroom teachers, and it was clear to us that they loved our daughter too. She thrived during her time at Adventures, and I could see how she much she was learning, week by week. She was always happy to go to school! I never worried about my daughter while she was at Adventures. We received regular updates (and pictures) throughout the day, via an app, about what her class did that day, what she ate and drank, diaper changes, and naps. I knew that she was in the best hands! And for an anxious Mama, that is a big deal! We did not want to leave Adventures, but due to extenuating family circumstances we had to make a hard decision. The administrative team offered us a lot of support during this time, which we are very thankful for. Hopefully one day we will be back!