My daughter attends one of the Discovery schools. Some of the things that she loves are:…read more- Teachers faculty and staff. Some of them really do a great job of trying to inspire the kids to learn, teach them discipline, and show care at the same time. - Co-curricular classes such as computer, library, art, etc. Although my daughter does well academically, she has a very creative side and enjoys getting to express that through these classes. - Students. My daughter has a great group of friends that she has been with since starting school here. They hang out on weekends and support each other in/out of school. As a parent, I feel that the school is generally safe, the staff is communicative, and supportive of the students/ families they serve. I am a strong believer in good free schools (since we pay our tax dollars for them) in our communities, and Discovery schools are great examples of them.

Before I share my review of the Dr. John Ochsner Discovery School (DJOD), let me share my…read morequalifications as a reviewer. I am a lifelong, professional educator having taught 44 years ranging from middle school to graduate school. I have a Ph.D. in education and am currently a high school teacher who also teaches 3-4 graduate education courses each year for LSU; and I serve on the Board of Directors of an "A-rated," metro-New Orleans PK-8 charter school. So, my review comes from a professional perspective. When my child's admission lottery number finally got us into DJOD, I was ecstatic! I truly believed DJOD would be a superior educational environment than the neighborhood public middle school. I could not have been more wrong!! DJOD was a huge disappointment and I totally regret pursing this educational opportunity for my child. Why? Over several years, I found the teachers to be inferior to the neighborhood school in their classroom teaching. My child's learning atrophied as too many of the teachers don't teach, rather they pointed their students to the internet and let online teach. Prior to beginning at DJOD, my child tested at grade-level or higher. Sadly, at the end of our time at DJOD, my child tested below grade-level. Worst of all, the teachers don't challenge the gifted and don't challenge early finishers. Prior to DJOD, both were managed quite well at the neighborhood school and I believe contributed much to strong academic progress and LEAP2025 mastery and advanced scores. At DJOD, the teachers appeared clueless with the gifted and early finishers. On top of all this, I personally experienced the lack of ethics of the school's administrators. DJOD's value form the acronym HEART and you hear and see HEART all over the school and from teachers / administrators mouths. Yet, while DJOD talks the talk of having HEART, I can attest personally they unfortunately cannot walk their talk. Their actions toward parents and students are HEARTLESS and unethical. In fact, I have concluded students and parents rank well behind everything especially their public face and brand. That's number one! How DJOD looks to the public. The prevailing administration attitude (all the way to the top) is: "DJOD is a choice; choose elsewhere, if you're not happy." Of course, through their lottery and waitlist, this translates to: "we don't care about you because we have plenty to replace you." How's that for HEART? Next, DJOD is a feminine culture and boys struggle to find their place in this feminine culture. Even worst, DJOD has no male role models for the boys. (Check out the DJOD directory and you'll see the lead administrators are female and there's only ONE male teacher.) So, in the end, as a professional educator (and, yes, as a parent), I have a very poor review of DJOD and strongly recommend you enter the school with eyes wide open - or better, stay away! When you pull back the curtain, it's not the school their leaders want you to see. Don't fall for the facade and double-talk. Good luck!

Just an update: We currently have been here for 3 years now…read moreand our baby boy is so loved and cared for by so many people. The fact that they always have little stories to tell me about him tells me they're spending quality time and engaging with him. They're very professional but also warm and loving to every kid I've seen the. Interact with. When my son is at home and something exciting happens, the first thing he says is "I can't wait to show Corinne". I wouldn't trust anywhere else with my son.

Based on my tour of Seven Oaks, I was very impressed. The children were PLAYING and LAUGHING. I…read moreknow that sounds basic, but at this point my husband and I have visited at least a dozen daycares, and this was the only place the kids seemed super happy. The teachers all said hello to us and chatted - another good sign. The administration was probably the best we've seen - you can tell they love their jobs, they love children, and treat your babies as they would their own. They take 1 year olds and up. 1 year old must be off a daytime bottle and taking a few steps. The price is competitive and I love that they have part time options to start getting the kids adjusted if you want. We have not placed our baby in a preschool yet, but Seven Oaks remains at the top of our list.

Based on my tour of the daycare/preschool, this is a good school! The campus is extremely spacious,…read moreas it also hosts the elementary and middle schools. Each baby and toddler age had their own playground and classrooms. They seem to have extensive programming for PreK3 and up (music, art, STEM, swimming). Only one point off for price (about double what the area preschools are charging) and goes till 3:30 with additional payments for aftercare till 5:30.

A staff member did something pretty horrible to one of my family members today. My heart is broken…read morethat a teacher can be that mean. Breaking a child's spirit is NOT OK. I have no other way to vent. I hope it will be addressed by school administration. I certainly would have expected better from any school, but especially this one. This was during the 2021/2022 school year. I did not hit the post review button at the time by mistake.

Based on my tour of The Learning Castle, I do not recommend it. Unsafe sleep practices for infants…read moreincluded sleeping with loose blankets and sleeping in a swing for an extended period, which can be hazardous and lead to suffocation or positional asphyxiation. It was not clean. I would not send my child there.

Extremely great school 10 out of 10 It's clean and they…read morereally do an excellent job at teaching your babies