What can be said about the people and programs at Growing Tree North? Quite simply - long gone are the days when the majority of families had one breadwinner and one caretaker raising the kid(s) at home. When financial obligations require having a 2 income household - parents want the next best thing - when it comes to taking care of their child(ren). We looked long and hard when we were searching for the right day care for our son. We began our extensive search long before our son was born. We wanted a clean facility; a strong child centered, educationally sound program; a good sense of community; loving caretakers; a convenient location - and people who take their tasks seriously. All of these things were found at Growing Tree North. Family owned and operated for 3 generations - there are great things happening with Amy Friedman's Growing Tree North in Roslyn Heights. Even with all of our criteria satisfied - leaving our 4 month old son behind and walking out to head to work - was one of the toughest things that my wife and I have ever had to do. As a former educator and school administrator, I knew the trust and the level of confidence that parents need to have with the caretakers of their most valuable resources - but this time, I was on the other end! I will be honest here - to all reading. We wanted to find a reason to hate the day care. We wanted them to fail. We subconsciously craved a reason to fly off the handle, pull our child out - and find a way to have to stay home with him. But... we could not. Slowly, as the days and then first few weeks went by - we found that the kids in the class were always happy. There was always something fun going on.. the monthly calendars always included family fun and educational ideas and events going on around the island. The children were well cared for - by more than the minimum amount of adults... Every employee - even those in the front office - knew who my son was - and because they told me he was always happy and smiling... not because he caused trouble or cried ceaselessly. When my birthday came in November - there was a cute birthday card made for me, with my son's handprints on them - something I treasured from the moment I received it. There are so many caring folks at Growing Tree North - that take pride in what they do. They are gracious and warm, welcoming and happy. They held a fall fun fest in October - complete with pony rides and petting zoo... My son just brought home a hand sewn holiday ornament/gift - a cute snowman with his photo in the center... all extras that never needed to be done - but were done happily. My parents, my wife's sister - and others on our list of approved visitors - have been able to come and see the facility - and spend time with my son. They are encouraged to do so - and they love it. My wife, who works nearby, spends her lunch break almost every day with our boy - and rather than being made to feel like she is in the way - she, too, is welcomed and encouraged. So - in the 4 months since our son began - our mindset and attitude has come 180 degrees - we love Growing Tree North. We cannot rave enough about the place - and their dedication to the children and their families. Again, as a former educator and administrator, I think that I held them to a higher standard - and they've passed with flying colors. If you are looking for a day care - a quality day care (emphasis on the word "care") in Nassau County - then Growing Tree North is the only place that you should be considering. read more

TERRIBLE PLACE. Someone mention about deposit in previous review. It's totally true. Dawn is very greedy. My son was starved there, unsecured, bitten 3 times, this is the reason I moved him out. Teachers at the schools are changing very frequently, looks like there are unpaid and overworked. UPK program have problem to find teachers that will stay full year. Its a shame. Dawn is not honest person. If you deal with her, remember what she says, it might be the age or she keeps forgetting on purpose for her own goods. Of course she lied to me regarding deposit that I never got it back... according to NYC law, deposit is returnable- RETAINER is not returnable. There are better places in area, more loving care, better hours, delicious home meals included, better environment, great curriculum. read more

It was mistake taking my child there. More hassle than I was promised. Teacher wasn't taking care of the class. Especially smaller kids group. Smaller kids need love, stability, acceptance. Teacher Im referring doesn't show any of that. My child was stressed out, unsecured, frustrated because of that. Was crying ever time I will drop him/her off. Teacher created so much fear, that it was to much. I saw another parents were struggling the same way. Many times after dropping off I saw my child crying laying on the floor and teacher wounds do anything. My heard was broken many times. Director is promising amazing care that is definitely not there. read more

A lot of empty promises. Fill sorry for the employees. They change frequently and I can tell toxic environment is the reason behind.

I was excited to work here until I actually worked here. All of the employees are spread thin. When they talk to the owner they don't feel heard. Most of them are looking for alternative employment. The kids were safe and loved but the employees are not. It felt to me from speaking to other employees things are just getting worse as time passes. Parents have big expectations as they should and the teachers try hard to fulfill those but are overworked and the school is owned by an absent novice. The interior of the school is beautiful and decorated with childrens art, that's what the star is for. It was a letdown because I was excited to work here but everyone told me to run. I hope the owner realizes all of her employees want to quit. read more

Firstly, they open few accounts and trying to write they own 5star reviews. At least two of the 5star reviews ware written by the owner daughter(Nina L). Another reviews was done by the employee who quit not that long ago(H Lyn). From the beginning tons of issues with that place. Numbers of phone calls to pick up my kids bc of fake FEVERS or imaginary Red Eye. After the third time I requested to check the temperature while Im there and my son had 99.1 Not even once they ware feverish or had pink eye. Another problem was that they often didnt offer my kid the lunch box that i prepared every morning. Usually the box was returned home NEVER OPENED. Was returned in the very same condition. The teachers ware changing constantly and you can find employees reviews about that place on INDEED. They are UNDERPAID and EXHAUSTED! I strongly encourage you to check local FACEBOOK groups to see what parents wrote about them recently or even several years ago. Greediness is number one in this place not your bellowed baby! Owners are extremely dishonest especially Dawn. Don't ever believe what she say. And whatever she promise make sure its written. She will makes you believe in her good will and than never get the deposit back. And this happens to me and several other parents I know or heart about from past. This is not a friendly place for working parents and it is terrible place for your baby! This is my personal experience and wish Ive seen other reviews before I signed up. Btw they will never mention that but the last month kids can stay only 2/3 of the month but still going to charge you full month. read more

I'll start by saying I am not sending my child here. We scheduled a walk through the week of thanksgiving with Dawn for "Monday" (December 2). When we got there, she said we are a week early and made us wait til she was ready. No big deal I guess. Following our walkthrough we got an email saying "thank you for sending your deposit for your son Caleb but we didn't get the paperwork".... I don't have a son Caleb.. I have a daughter whose name sounds nothing like Caleb. When I mentioned it, Dawn apologized and that's it. Now comes December 9 and I get a call asking me where I am and that my walkthrough was scheduled for 2pm... I guess they forgot r walked around last week? It's a shame that I have to give a 2 star review because of Dawn. The teachers all seemed nice. Premise seemed nice. Activities seemed nice and learning potential seemed nice but I don't think I will ever be able to send my daughter to a place that's this confused all the time. IDE hate to see how they would misplace my daughter or confuse her with someone else. read more

I don't have enough good things to say about Growing Tree North. My son has been there for the past three years and my only regret is not finding it sooner for my older daughter. The teachers are all lovely, the facility is spotless and very unassuming unless you knew where you were going and we have found the administration top notch. My son had a speech delay and not only did Growing Tree work with us closely to find a therapist and provide a separate space for the 3x weekly sessions on-site but Dawn and various teachers were there to answer any questions and help us through the routine evaluations needed in order to be qualified for EI speech. We drive all the way from Garden City because of the quality, respect and love that Growing Tree North offers. read more

What a warm and welcoming daycare/nursery school. The staff here is very caring and dedicated to taking care of the babies and children. It is scary leaving your child for the first time but the kind teacher and director, Amy eased the transition for us. Every morning they are there to greet us and our baby. It is clear they take excellent and loving care of him. We were impressed with the organization of the older kids' classes and how much fun they seemed to be having there. There's a nice outside area and water play area in the summer. Overall a fantastic place. So happy we found it. read more

The management is horrible. Took the $1400 deposit then said a child is unable to attend because the requirements were not met. Why wasn't this discussed before the deposit? Now, refusing to return it. Dawn does not answer phone calls or messages. She has no idea what is happening at her school. Do not send your child here read more

This is an absolutely fantastic nursery school. The teachers are fantastic. The director Amy is extremely warm and accommodating. They clearly know their stuff when it comes to child development and age-appropriate activities. We love the growing tree!!! read more

Administrative Nightmare.....Teachers are good, but things from the beginning rubbed us wrong. Poor communication, inaccurate communication and even an incident with a teacher that wasn't brought to our attention until Child services got involved. read more

Our experience at this school was mixed. We liked our child's teacher, the other students, and the parents of other students. We did not have a good experience with the school administration and it was reason enough for us to remove our child and choose another school. In my opinion, the extended day and the couple hundred bucks you save every month aren't worth it. read more

BEWARE. Amy, the Director acts like a bully. She is duplicitous. Do not trust what you are told by Management. They hire individuals who are usually inexperienced in the educational system and have not worked with children. They also do not take care of their employees. They have a high turnaround. How can your children be taken goof care of if they do not hire quality? They do not provide medical benefits for their employees, they pay minimum wage, they do not screen properly and they have these people take care of your children? read more

DONT GO HERE! ! The director Dawn Friedman is a thief she stole my son's speech therapy when he was supposed to be taken out of class and made the therapist stay in the class so she could have an extra staff member in the class which went against my son's IEP and is against the law. They are under staffed one day my son fell and got hurt and the teacher told us she couldn't get him ice because there wasn't anyone to watch the class .so my 2 year old had to sit there with a huge bump on his forehead and no ice. When we emailed the director about this situation. To save herself from it she called the day before he was supposed to go there that he wasn't allowed back. During that conversation she hung up on me twice. That lady should not be be left in charge of the safety of any child . read more

These other reviews don't reflect my experience at all. My son has been enrolled at GTN since September and is having a very good experience. He loves his teachers and is well taken care of by them. He is excited when we drop him off and often talks about his day in toddler-speak to us when he gets home. They do a thorough job of diaper changes and feedings and helped our son become a better napper. In terms of activities he has already learned to count to 10 and say the alphabet and he isn't even 2 years old! We looked all around the Great Neck / Manhasset / Roslyn area and had interviews with about 5 different daycare programs. GTN made us feel, by far, the most comfortable as this facility is more like a school than a daycare. We remain very satisfied. read more

Please allow me to directly speak to L. Z. I'm not sure who you're referring to but let break something down for you, you speak like you've worked at this place from you're review you are singling out one special person while complimenting others. The person you seem to be referring to is not married so this shows me your facts are flimsy at best. Next if this is something you witnessed and did not report it to the office nor a mandated reporter hotline it makes you just as culpable. One of the people who you complimented is in the room with the person you are accusing of unacceptable behavior which in turn makes them just as guilty. I believe I know exactly who you are and if you're one of the people that couldn't hack it past two weeks and are just being bitter you might want to remove your false report before you are charged with liable. read more

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Growing Tree North. My two-year-old has attended since he was five months of age and he has thrived here. The teachers are attentive, warm, and treat the children as if they were their own. The directors are easy to reach, receptive to feedback, passionate about the curriculum, and ensure that health and safety are top priorities. You know that you are sending your child to the right place when at the end of the day they don't want to leave! read more

I worked at the growing tree north, it is the same and the growing tree nursery school in a different location run by the same family. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. They overcharge parents and charge them for certain child care amenities they are not receiving. Even though they tell the families they are receiving those amenities. Management is mediocre and does not treat employees appropriately. Dawn was nice the few times I met her. I met with her husband who ran the growing tree north school, twice. I personally didn't have a problem but heard horror stories from most employees. Some were long time employees. They do not provide appropriate breaks for part time employees when they work over 6 hours (which I had to do multiple times) and that is illegal. They told multiple workers they provide benefits for full time. Speaking with other employees, it turns out they do not. It is a family run business. The owners leave the office/daycare in the control of their less than qualified daughter, Amy. She is rude and nasty to the employees. She has that "I work for mommy and daddy" attitude and feels she can speak to people and treat them how she wants. None of the teachers like her. They roll their eyes when she leaves the room or demands something be done. Some of the children do not like her either. They hire anyone off the street (background check and fingerprinting completed) but some of the workers are not qualified to take care of the children. Certain teachers are not nice to the children. They yell and scream in the faces of 3 year olds. I have heard and witnessed this. Fire drills are conducted in all weather conditions, rain and snow included. They make the children and employees stand in all weather conditions. The babies are brought out in their cribs which are then brought back in, wet and cold. These children have to sleep in these cribs. DO NOT GIVE THIS DAYCARE YOUR BUSINESS. YOU ARE NOT GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR. They may say there is a lack of turn over but having worked there and spoken to my coworkers, that is a lie. Yes there are some long term employees but they speak negatively about the employers and the way the school is run. They have said that they only stay for the children or because it is something for them to do. read more

I am disappointed by the reviews, because I LOVE Growing Tree North. My daughter (10 months old) is thriving there. The teachers are highly experienced and care so deeply for the children; it's a relief knowing I can trust my daughter's caretakers while I am at work. The office staff is friendly, and Amy, the director, obviously loves her job and takes her responsibility seriously. I don't know what I would do without our GTN family. read more

The rudest employees work here, especially the receptionist. If the "front line" people are this rude, why would you entrust your children to such a place? I called last week to obtain information, left a message for the male owner, and no one called me back. And then when I called today to follow up, the receptionist seemed disinterested in answering even the simplest of questions and then proceeded to hang up on me when I asked to leave a message. When I called back, she hung up again, saying she was being harassed. I'm HARASSING you by asking you for information??? read more

This daycare is run by dishonest crooks. I signed up and put a deposit down for my unborn child to attend here when I was 5 months pregnant because I understood the demand for good reputable childcare, and I knew I would need to go back to work. I was put on a waiting list, they accepted my money, I signed the contract. Now, at the bottom of the contract they ask you to sign, it is noted in fine print that "GTN reserves the right to dismiss you/your child from GTN at any time with no given reason necessary." While that is an alarming statement, who would ever think that a daycare would actually use such a disclaimer in a dishonest way? Think again. Fast forward to April 2016. I delivered my baby in February, two weeks late. So while my declared start date for my daughter was supposed to be mid-April, my start date at work was therefore later because of delivering late, so when I spoke to Amy about the timing having shifted for obvious reasons that I cannot control...l AKA giving birth.... she agreed to moving my daughter's state date at GTN (when she would be three mo. old) to mid-May to accommodate my new return date to work. I'd paid half the month, so I was paid up a few thousand dollars at this point. It probably should have been a red flag to me that Amy was incapable of proper conduct and communication, when she repeatedly called my husband at work and left me voicemails stating that "our start date was unknown to GTN" and "were we still planning to attend?" she even claimed that we never paid. (thank god I keep receipts.) I figured the poor woman must be short-staffed in the chaotic office, because I even have emails where in one message her tone was very sweet, saying how "we're so glad we could nail down a start date for your daughter, looking forward to seeing her!" then hours - HOURS- later a new email from her would come to my inbox saying "please call me tomorrow to discuss the fact that you will no longer be bringing your daughter in April, we have people waiting for that spot and you need to let us know if you will be attending or you will lose it." Then I would call her to say- we did this already, we confirmed MAY and she would apologize profusely for getting confused. On April 27th I received a phone call from Amy after all of this confusing and repetitive email correspondence, where I had to remind her more than once that I was bringing my daughter in to daycare in May and that I had paid.... she calls to ask if "I was sure I needed my spot", and if I could move my start date to JULY because she (and this is a direct quote) "double booked me with another family who desperately needs a start date in May." I was shocked. I promptly reminded her that we had had this conversation before, that I paid for May and was starting in May because I have to go back to work. She apologized again- said yes she remembered and she messed up, then said "see you in May!" and we hung up. Not two minutes later my phone rings again and it is her- I was in a bad reception area and for some reason my phone rang once and then took the call straight to voicemail - Amy left a voicemail that said "So sorry, but we can no longer accept you into this daycare program and we will be giving up your spot- Mr. Friedman and I feel that you have been very indecisive as to when you wanted to bring in your child and you keep giving us the run-around and we just think it's better you don't come to our daycare- we will refund you your money." I immediately called GTN, and not even 5 minutes had gone by since she left me this very alarming voicemail - the office assistant told me that I couldn't speak to Amy because she had left for the day! The assistant also told me that Mr. Friedman was planning on calling me tomorrow to discuss what happened, and I should expect his call at 11am. Good- Mr. Friedman never called. My husband and I gave GTN until 2pm to call us- and no one reached out to explain anything after leaving that voicemail. We called them at 2, and got the assistant on the phone who said "sure hold on!" when I asked to speak to Amy. Moments later, the assistant came on to tell me that Amy was not in, neither was Mr. Friedman. I said "that is a blatant lie, I know they are in- if one of them does not get on the phone with me to discuss the voicemail they left me yesterday, I will have my attorney call them instead." Needless to say Amy got on the phone. Overall the conversation was a sad excuse for the way this supposedly reputable place does business. Amy claimed I never knew when I was bringing in my daughter- that I dodged their calls- then she said "but if you want, we now have an opening in JULY." (the spot that she asked me to take the day before, because she double booked for May!!!) All in all, she booked someone for my same spot- and instead of being honest, claimed it was my fault, and gave it to the other person. Because of this, I now am on unpaid leave from work, with no plan. Disgraceful. read more

DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN HERE. While there are a select few teachers and assistants who are wonderful, the rest is a nightmare. The office is out of control. Amy, the director, is one of the most condescending and careless people I have ever met. She is an embarrassment of a director. The man in the office is cheap and pinches pennies from charging parents any chance he gets, to docking employees pay for clocking out 30 seconds early. They treat employees like slaves, forcing them to do work that is not part of being a teacher because they are too cheap to hire the correct staff to do the work that needs to be done. They constantly move teachers around, so my child was constantly meeting new teachers. Speaking of new teachers, the teachers that are there drop like flies. To replace them, the office seems to hire anybody that walks in, even if they are not fit to work with children! The list could go on and on. You will have nothing but a terrible experience here. Don't waste your time or money on this place... read more

I've had my child here for a couple of years and have felt more than comfortable leaving them here. That is of course until the new director Amy took over. She is a rude, unfriendly and unwelcoming woman, or shall I say child. Ever since she took over the turnover rate has greatly increased. They think parents don't notice these things, but we do. I see staff being mistreated daily. Poor staff members come in at 9:00am, then receive their break an hour later at 10:00am which might I add is illegal. I've witnessed a beloved staff member get screamed at in front of multiple parents which is completely unprofessional. Thankfully the staff loves the kids and they take great care of children and that is the ONLY REASON I keep my child there. The teachers make this school a caring place for the children, not Amy. I've witnessed her give inaccurate unsolicited advice to parents. She has no knowledge of children because she doesn't have any, but acts like an expert. She is so quick to want to have a child evaluated and makes the parent feel like something is wrong with their child. This place is most definitely run by dishonest crooks. It is unfortunate because I have gotten so close with the wonderful teachers and I will not be returning next year. read more

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about the Growing Tree North. My son has been there for a year and a half now. It was very hard going back to work and finding excellent childcare, but I most definitely found it at GTN. It is extremely impressive and important to me that they have no violations with the NYS Office of Children and Family Services, which unfortunately cannot be said about many daycare centers. From my first meeting and walk-through with Amy the Director, I felt so comfortable and impressed with the loving, safe environment. I remember not believing how well behaved and happy all of the children were. The school is extremely clean, well organized and safety is top priority. They have a wonderful curriculum, activities and fun family events. The administration and teachers go out of their way to make sure the children are happy, healthy and loved. They take a personal interest in the well being of each child. They are some of the most loving people I have ever met. I have teachers walk my son and I to our car because he does not want to leave at night!! As a parent, that couldn't make me happier to see how happy my son is! He is thriving and doing so well with their love and support. read more