Our daughter has been going for the past 3 years. The classes are small and one on ine. She has…read morelearned so much whether it be her writing her letters, numbers, writing her name, learning about the environment and holidays, sharing or participating as a group. This place is extremely reasonable as far as cost goes. The teachers/staff are fantastic!

From the owner: Where the learning is fun…read more We believe that the environment children experience in their formative years will have an effect on the person they will become. Our goal is to have a child's preschool years enjoyable as well as educational. Our philosophy where learning is fun combines stimulating structured programs with the freedom of spontaneous play. There is a planned curriculum designed for each age group that will enable the children to proceed to the next level of their individual development. Our educational programs are comprehensive, thematically based programs that integrate all age appropriate subject areas. Based on monthly themes and coordinated with daily activities our programs focus on promoting readiness skills, phonics, language development, math concepts, hands on activities and encourage a love for learning. Above all, it is our goal to provide a safe and loving environment to help promote the growth of your child.

the teachers have worked very hard with my daughter to provide a pre-K environment where she feels…read moresafe, feels in control of things affecting her, and has fun.

From the owner: We are the only early childhood program in Exeter NH nationally accredited by NAEYC. We provide…read morehigh quality early childhood care while maintaining school hours of 6:30-5:30, with an open door policy, to accommodate families busy schedules. Our educational programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners are based upon NAEYC's best practices and are aligned with NH Department of Education's Early Learning Standards. Our preschool students transition to kindergarten with the foundation they need for their academic success, some as early readers. Approximately 95% of our kindergartners leave our program as successful early readers. We track each child's overall developmental progress by building a portfolio for each child over a course the year, infants through kindergarten. The portfolios contain samples of the child's work, documentation of developmental accomplishments, photographs, and activity documentation explaining the objectives of an activity with the child's participation in it. These portfolios create a story of the child's experience in the classroom and validate the child's work within the classroom.

Our three year old daughter has been at Seacoast Community School for almost a year now. We have…read moreseen nothing but good things. The teachers, the staff, the facilities have all been excellent. We're looking forward to her continued progress through the kindergarten prep program later this year, and intend that she will continue at SCS through the start of kindergarten. A great place and a great school.

From the owner: Seacoast Community School has been a leader in nurturing care and educational programs for all…read morechildren in the area since our founding in 1967. Our mission is: To provide nurturing care and exceptional education for all children of the Seacoast. We offer quality early learning for children age 8 weeks to 12 years. Our program consists of nationally accredited early childhood classrooms for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, as well as an inclusive half-day preschool program in collaboration with Little Harbour school. We also offer a quality after school program (PEAK) located at multiple elementary schools in Portsmouth and Greenland, NH. In addition, we offer a Summer PEAK program which is a full day summer camp for kids K-5.

i have never had to put a child into a daycare setting before, so this was a first and a learning…read moreexperience. At no point did i ever feel uncomfortable leaving my son, in fact he never wanted to leave when i would pick him up. The moment he would see the playground he knew where he was and was super excited to be there. He started at 14 months old with little to no speech and has completely made major improvements, he had been cautious of change and now he welcomes it. The teachers and staff are amazing. The only down fall is availability. I started my son off with only 2 days a week and he loves it so much i wanted to add an extra day and have been on a wait list to do so for sometime now, with no estimated date for that extra time.

We interviewed and toured a lot of daycare centers before bringing our newborn to DCEC. This school…read moreis by far the BEST! I second every kind thing throughout these reviews. From being able to watch your child while you're at work to the hand written notes that they leave about your child's day, to the incident reports to see how something was handled; they're INCREDIBLE. I email the staff at least once a week with a question or a food substitute for our son and receive an immediate response. Everyone who works there treats you with kindness and respect and you really feel like your child is part of a little family and our son truly loves his teachers! I would recommend this daycare without hesitation to ANYONE!

The negative post made earlier this week is truly upsetting, as someone who has two children that…read moreare and have gone through this center - and have loved every second of it. From eight weeks old, to five years old, my daughter thrived at Discovery. The same teachers that she had, my son now has. The daycare is as clean as any daycare is going to be. I can tell you, it is more sanitary than my house, with two kids, at the end of a (week) end day with them. SO, how they keep it as clean as they do, with more than two kids in each room - is truly something. As for potty training - I actually give them credit for potty training my kids. My husband always say, "we got lucky!" but really, the teachers did it for us. Positive reinforcement, continual reminders, sticker charts - they did it all to make sure their potty days were successful ones. The staff is hands down the best, and so many have been there for so long. Most who are Moms, also have their kids there in other rooms. That speaks volumes to me. IN addition to that - there are several who have left for college, and come back for summers, or who leave hoping to make more money (because everyone knows how underpaid child education is) and then come back! Everyday, we get a print out and a hand written note about what our kids did that day, if they were happy/sad/sensitive, what they played with, etc. They spend so much time outside, that at tub time every night, we could make our own sandbox :-) In the bigger room, just before Kindergarten, they spend less time outside, but that is because they are preparing them for what lies ahead in Kindergarten! At my daughter's first parent/teacher meeting in Kindergarten - we were told that she is excelling, and far above where she is expected to be at this point, one month into the school year!! Could not be more proud, and owe that thanks to Discovery. Any concern, though there be few, are always thoughtfully addressed by the owner and the staff. The comments that the ratio of children to teachers is high depends on what your opinion is, really. The state has regulations - and they have as many kids as possible to teachers, in order to run a profitable business. Otherwise, why run the business? Discovery - you keep doing you. I'd send my kids there again in a heartbeat, and hope that the "one person who is saved" by the negative post from earlier (jeesh) reads *this* post - and realizes that from a MOTHER, (not a disgruntled employee) you'd be doing your kids, and yourself a favor - to send them to such a great school.

I really researched the preschool options in Portsmouth NH, and was alarmed at most of the price…read moretags. Through word-of-mouth we decided to visit Agape Preschool. That visit turned in to enrollment of our then 3 yr olds' first year of schooling. I haven't regretted this decision for a minute. I can honestly say there was not one morning that our daughter did not want to go school. Even when she was sick she would beg to go. The teachers are seasoned and experienced and mothers themselves (which makes a HUGE difference). They truly care about all the children. Every morning she was greeted with a hug and a "I'm so glad you're here today!" Positives: Small class size, field trips, caring experienced teachers, can't beat the price tag, extra morning hours and afternoon hours of care available, the special events they have i.e. Mother's Day concert and Xmas show are heart-warming. Only negative is she graduated a couple weeks ago and we miss it so much :-( We now consider our daughter fully prepared for kindergarten not only academically, but socially. She really came out of her shell and loved every minute of it. Thank you Agape.... I recommend to everyone looking for Portsmouth Preschool!!!

At first we were so happy to have our son attend Cornerstone as a full time student in their…read moreToddler-house program with 10 other students. (It was his first school ever- He is only 2 yrs old.) Then suddenly in January their teachers informed us that they would not be able to keep him as a full time student the following year. We have two children and my husband and I are both professionals with strict schedules. It was a shock to suddenly be told that our child could only be a student from 8:30 to 11:30am. When we asked them why, they said he would not take naps. Strange, both our children nap regularly EVERYDAY. I was able to talk to the some of the other parents who have children in the same class as my son. A few of them mentioned that their kids also do not nap, but their children WERE attending full time next year. It turns out these families have have other siblings attending Cornerstone. That made us feel that the school was exhibiting some bias against our child. We had heard very little communication from the school during his first 6 months, just mostly generic daily comms, but suddenly we began getting communications 2-3x per week detailing complaints such as our son stepping on bugs, playing with sticks too much or even chewing his food with his mouth open, really?! He was only 2! This continued for weeks which made us feel bullied. This school makes up a lot of stories to cover up their own lies that they tell to parents. The toddler teachers and the Head of school, Lee-Ann are very judgmental. Once the She finds out that you are asking questions about the teachers, some of which are not certified, or questioning their "curriculum", She will make sure that you and your child will have a terrible year filled with multiple early dismissals which cause you to scramble for babysitting coverage or take personal time. Since we been there, the Toddler House class size has dropped by over a third. Do your research, this school has had a lot of issues with the Board of Education and has had multiple lawsuits filed against them, all in the public record. The upper school has a good reputation but their Toddler House leaves a lot to be desired. The reason for my review is to help parents really ask the RIGHT questions before going into this school. Good luck to anyone who is considering entering their child into the Toddler-House.

This is a school where children love to learn for the love of learning, not because they have to…read moreknow something for a test. The students learn that grace and courtesy are just as important as their math facts. The students are inquisitive and respectful. The faculty are dedicated, supportive and enthusiastic. My children have been attending Cornerstone since they were 3 years old. They are now 9 and 11. Their knowledge of the world and their academics are very strong. I am always impressed by their level of maturity and respect for others and their environment. Cornerstone has shaped them to be strong, positive children.