If I could I would still be attending summer camp in my 30s. I'm counting down the days until my…read morenow 4.5 yr old is old enough to go to overnight camp- not because I want less chaos in my house, but little does she know that I'm planning on going with her. Or at least visiting a lot! When I first checked out Tamarak it reminded me a lot of overnight camp. Lots of greenery and just plain fun! I decided last August that I was going to enroll my daughter in their munchkin program for this summer. As this summer approached I got a little nervous because wasn't sure she was ready to leave the doors of her nurturing pre- school, take a bus to camp and stay all day long. It turns out she was more than ready and I can't imagine her having a better summer than she did at Tamarak. She loved her counselors (shout out to Faith who runs the munchkin program along with Jess, Isabel, Hillary and sam for putting up with her and many other 4 yr olds each day). She loved the activities (swimming & arts and crafts her personal faves). And most of all she loved the bus ride to and from camp, which opened her eyes (or ears) to many more music options. The price of Tamarak alone was worth getting to switch out the kiddie music in my car for Taylor swift and Katy Perry. Tamarak has open visitation. I expected to take advantage of it many times throughout the summer but between work and the rest of life just made it there once. However, I was so impressed by the camp based on that 1 visit: it was well organized, the kids were safe and it just looked like so much fun. My daughter cried when I told her she'd be going back to the "tough life of pre school in the fall" because she wants to stay at tamarak year round. I'd like to be at camp year round too, but at least she's lucky enough to have a summer at tamarak next year and beyond.

My 2 daughters went to went to Tamarak country school. We've had experience with 14 teachers and I…read morecan say, while they all offer different types of support to their students, they have all been quite good. My 2 girls have wildly different personalities one introverted and creative, the other extroverted and focused. The former needed more support from the Tamarak teachers and she received it. She is no longer afraid to speak out. She really loves school. This is a metamorphosis to me and I feel a significant portion of this change can be attributed to the teachers at Tamarak. The teachers set goals for the girls and worked with us on techniques that we could use at home to help them. The day is broken up into big group, small group and individual choice education & play. They focus on literacy, letters and math concepts as well as social aspects of learning. Both of my girls were completely prepared for kindergarten. Tamarak offers additional learning opportunities in programs like GIFT, and STARs. We took advantage of GIFT this year, which extended the day from 2 1/2 hrs to 5 hrs (lunch is included). These extra classes offer benefits. 1) It prepared my youngest for full day kindergarten (first one didn't have it and full day kindergarten was a shock to the system for her) 2) extra learning opportunities in geography, and the one that impressed me the most was public speaking and presentations. This may sound like too much...I thought it would have been, but....the kids to so well! The got to talk about something they liked doing and in this non-threatening environment....they had no problem talking to the class. The school has several outdoor play areas and an indoor gym for rainy/cold days. They care a great deal about the health of the kids, plenty of hand washing :) Lucia, the director, is a force. She is really really a great director. She is responsive to suggestion and a fabulous leader. We will be back for summer camp next summer for sure.

My daughter spent the better half of 3 years here at Little Hands! She's now off to kindergarten…read moreand still talks about her memories there and how she misses everyone! Location is perfect. Communication was great - always love updates with pictures throughout my work day! 10/10 would recommend!

We had 2 of our kids attend Little Hands, one was there for 1.5 years and the other for 4 years. I…read morefelt like my kids were safe, happy, and well cared for. Miss Amy and the teachers were like family and were always happy to send pictures and tell us about the day. They helped potty train my youngest with no issues. My kids have made life-long friends and were prepared for kindergarten.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a good experience here. The teachers were not friendly or warm or…read morenurturing at all in my daughter's 3 year old class. My daughter complained that the teachers were mean but I kind of just brushed it off. But then I would pick her up from school early and observed what she was talking about. The teachers were sassy and rude to the children - it wasn't behavior that I wanted exemplified for my child. On top of this, the activity log that they shared with the parents was just wrong. They would include activities on it that they didn't do and my husband and I would see the kids doing activities in the classroom that weren't listed on the log. They also mixed our child's profile up with someone else's and we would get reports saying things like "she napped for 45 minutes" or "she ate all of her lunch" when in reality we had picked her up from school before lunch and nap time. We brought this to the attention of the teachers and staff and they temporarily corrected it, but it always went back to being inaccurate. The final straw for me was that there was no sense of community. I joined the parent group hoping that my perspective would change but it turned out that the main focus of the parent group was to fundraise because the Goddard school had no budget for the family/community activities. I found this to be pretty disappointing considering how expensive the school was. We switched to a different preschool and have had a much better experience. I'm only sharing this because choosing a school for our kids can be such a hard decision. I wish all parents and kiddos the best and hope that the Goddard school will take this review into consideration to make some important improvements.

I wanted to post an update for parents who wonder about how children that go here progress... My…read moreoldest daughter has been at Goddard since she was 18 months old - she is now 5 1/2 years old, and my youngest also joined at 18 months and is now 3 1/2 years old. At 3-1/2, the youngest daughter can READ sight words, knows colors, numbers, and weather in English and Spanish (Spanish is not a language we speak at home, so this is all the school). While some reading is due to us working with her, and some in part because of her sister's advancement, a big part (and thank you) is owed to the school for working so diligently with her. At 5-1/2, the oldest daughter has blossomed into an amazing and bright little girl. She is reading at a 4th Grade level, doing math at a 2nd grade level, and the teachers are making sure to encourage her and help her grow, even though it requires them to take "special" time out for her to do so, since she's above the average lesson plans. They have worked very closely with me to make sure she stays engaged and challenged, and as a result she's a happy, healthy, very bright kid who LOVES her school. I read the previous review from someone in April, and while I feel horribly for the situation in theory, I can't imagine it being accurate. There is no mention, for example, of the specific room the child was in, and I can tell you from years of personal experience there's NO WAY the Dave I know at our school would refuse to help a parent who was uncomfortable, or force a child backward and not forward. While I won' t say it outright isn't true (I wasn't there), I can say that the parents who have children here know everything, see everything, and an event like what was described would have been talked about heavily, yet I never heard a peep.... Bottom line, if you are looking for child care, there is hands down no where better in the area - they've won the "Best Childcare in Lake County" award for like 7 years running. If you are unsure, call them and ask to take a tour to see for yourself... you'll be so glad you did.

We cannot say enough wonderful things about MMDC. The staff…read moreand teachers are truly exceptional. They are warm, patient, and genuinely invested in each child's development. From day one, the teachers and staff have treated our son like family. He absolutely loves his teachers and has made so many sweet friends. As a parent, there is no better feeling than knowing your child is in a safe, fun, and loving environment while you are at work. If you are looking for a place where your child will be loved and supported, look no further.

A fantastic place for little ones to learn and grow. The Montessori approach is thoughtful and…read morenurturing, and the music activities are a highlight. Highly recommend this center.

So thankful to have found St. John. All of the teachers care so much about the kids. The…read morecurriculum is impressive, but the way it is taught really instills a love of learning.

I had two daughters who attended St John from kindergarten thru 8th grade. While my primary…read moreobjective was to provide a solid, Christian education I found the smaller classes and individual attention prepared my daughters extremely well for higher education. My younger daughter is now a HS junior and is near the top of her class. My older daughter has completed college and is now a working professional. Besides being well equipped to continue their education both girls are deeply rooted in their faith and have a true understanding of the value of service. I am thankful for the instruction and guidance they received at St John during their years there. I would strongly recommend this school to any like-minded parents looking for quality Christian education.

The school is great if your child can be a good little soldier and fit inside the school's tiny box…read morementality. My child attended there a few years but it became apparent that the school was woefully lacking in it's willingness and capability to meet my child where he was concerning learning styles and assignments. Even after a few meetings with teachers and school administration, I thought we were all on the same page. They did some things to try to accommodate his needs, but the school did not follow through with the plan we agreed upon. They recently informed us he was no longer welcome to attend WCA just a few days before school started. Imagine our stress to come up with an education plan with such short notice. If this was their intent at the end of the previous school year, we should have been informed then, not at the last minute​ - completely unprofessional on their part. I suppose though it is their prerogative to do so since they are private with closed enrollment - still an unclassy move in my opinion. One winter there was a fire alarm that went off. My child was in the after school care trailer when it happened. They rushed all of the kids outside without coats when it was bitter cold. Thankfully I was arriving when that happened and was able to get my son into my car which was warm and dry. I made a very constructive suggestion to the school on how to handle a future event like this so kids wouldn't be without a coat. Suggestion was ignored. My child is now in public school where there are definitely more resources available to him. Makes me question why we wasted all of that money on sub-par education and sub-par professionalism. I would not recommend this school as it is under-equipped, has mediocre facilities and resources and is out of touch with current educational styles. You are better off in a public school where resources are far superior to WCA. They proclaim a message of hope. However, there is no hope for your child if (s)he doesn't fit exactly into the school's less than flexible approach.

As a Westlake Alumni, there's a lot I can say about Westlake! It has it's flaws, the school is not…read moreperfect-but what school is? Many people criticize the fact that there are not as many resources and opportunities that public schools offer. However, every year they add more opportunities, more classes, and improve in every way they can. Most importantly, you get a Christ centered education. It is more important to go into college having a strong Christian background and a faith of your own than enter with 10 college credits. They left me with a strong foundation in the gospel, wisdom, and I learned so many practical life things from the Christ-centeredness that they so strongly focus on. It doesn't matter if you don't have AP this or that. Westlake is a school that helps your child be spiritually strong. As a little bonus, basically anyone can play on sports teams. My friend was a 5'2" basketball starter, I played volleyball for 4 years, and every sports team is a way to grow in friendships, physical strength, and in your faith.