My daughter has shown tremendous growth in the Great Start Readiness Program. She is writing her…read morename and recognizing letters. I am pleased to know that she will be ready for kindergarten next year. ABC Academy has provided her with a foundation for her school years to come!

I will admit at first I was skeptical about sending my 2-1/2 year old son to a daycare "center"…read moreversus an in-home setting. But wow was I wrong. This center is phenomenal! Small class sizes. Individualized attention. We have been there over four years now.... my son does before & after school care along with the summer youth group program. Excellent staff. Clean facility. I recommend it to everyone!

Just went on a visit to see if our daughter would enjoy attending. And the teachers were…read moreabsolutely wonderful. Can wait for our little girl to be a part of their program.

Highly recommend! Whenever there's kids in town visiting we try to get them here (but equally…read moreenjoyable for adults too!). It's so fun to be hands on with the animals and the staff/volunteers are the nicest, answering all your random questions and telling you about the animals, but also giving you space if you don't feel like socializing.

This place is great. You can learn a lot about different animals, hands on. The staff is well…read moreinformed, and passionate about learning. It's free to go, so make sure to stop by their very reasonably priced gift shop and or leave a donation. Side note, I can't wait to go back. I want to snuggle their ferrets, and purchase some more of their cool science nerdy earrings!

Daycroft is a school unlike any other…read more The Montessori philosophy is the foundation of what makes Daycroft so amazing. The kids that attend Daycroft are genuinely some of the nicest kids I've ever met. There is a huge emphasis placed on the "culture of kindness" and it shows every day. Children are treated with respect, and therefore respect one another. When behavior issues arise, children are counseled through it by their teachers, not simply punished. There is an emphasis on understanding and empathy rather than control. A HUGE reason this is possible is the faculty to student ratio. Every grade-level classroom has two full-time, certified teachers. The class sizes are nearly always 20 kids or less, so that's a 10-to-1 ratio max most of the time. When they go to specials (music, art, gym, Spanish, library, and technology), each class is split in half (half go to music and half to art, for example, then they switch) to preserve that ratio- unless the class makes more sense to have more kids (such as gym or orchestra). Daycroft is a school where everyone knows everyone by name- students know and are friends with other students at other grade levels, teachers know students' names in grades other than just the ones they teach, and specials teachers get to teach the same kids for up to nine years. The bond that is created with such a close-knit community is special. Daycroft is a family.

Our family has been at Daycroft Montessori for four years and are starting our fifth year. We…read morehighly recommend the school. We annually renew our decision to enroll at Daycroft due to the following: 1. The Montessori philosophy: mixed-age classrooms, children work uninterrupted on learning activities that they freely choose from a teacher-created set of options, children primarily learn by working hands-on with a myriad of subject-appropriate materials rather than verbal instructions from an instructor, and work plans designed for each individual child to the point that, depending upon the needs of the child, work plans can range from daily to weekly in duration. 2. Two teachers in each Daycroft classroom. This translates into a ratio of approximately one teacher for every 10 students. 3. The extraordinary religious, racial, and ethnic diversity of the children enrolled at Daycroft. For those of you reading this review who are new to the Montessori philosophy, let me explain that Montessori means disciplined choice. There is zero chaos in a Daycroft Montessori classroom. There may be a quiet hum, or happy chatter, but no chaos. From their workplan, children choose which item to address when. They are taught how to effectively focus and not interrupt other children's work. Because workplans are individualized to best fit their learning style, the children become deeply engaged. Before they move on to a new activity, the children must clean up their current activity. So, classrooms are tidy, calm, and, at the end of the day, everything is back in its place. We particularly love the diversity of the Daycroft families. Because it's so diverse, children learn experientially about the many skin tones, religions, & ethnicities. The teachers invite families in to share their rituals, foods, and experiences. Parents have the opportunity to become as involved as desired. I've volunteered in the classroom and my husband has volunteered in after-school. (There are quite a number of after-school activities for the children.) Daycroft has two locations. The Zeeb campus is K-6. Our family's experience has been at the Zeeb campus, which is where I will focus my review. The building is in excellent condition; bright, clean, and well-designed. It includes the K-6 classrooms, a robust library, media center, well-appointed art room, music room with risers and instruments, multi-purpose room (used for lunch, spanish, and after-care), kitchen, gym/auditorium, science room, sickroom, and administrative offices. All classrooms have smartboards and other types of technology (computers, etc). All children at Daycroft have Spanish twice a week and upper grades learn additional languages, and the etymology of language. Musical instruments are introduced at an early age, and increasingly sophisticated instruments are added as the children progress through the grades. There is an orchestra, choir, and band, and the children perform a concert semi-annually. Annually, in the spring, there is an all-school musical that is amazing. Every child is involved - creating the sets, singing in the chorus, and/or being on-stage. At Daycroft, children have choices appropriate to their age and abilities. All subjects are taught extensively and deeply throughout the children's time at Daycroft. For example, geometry and algebra are introduced in pre-school; each year, a child's learning of such subjects advances in sophistication. Because the children have individual workplans and uninterrupted worktime, they progress at their pace (with the teacher's encouragement and guidance, of course). What the children learn at Daycroft is far advanced from what my husband and I were taught at the same ages in our own school experiences. The administrative and teaching staff are always available to the parents. Two years ago, our daughter hit a personal "bump in the road". We spent time with her teachers and the head of school to work through this and found the experience to be very gratifying. All of us worked collaboratively to help our daughter traverse the situation successfully. From a distance, I've noted this scenario repeated successfully with other children at Daycroft. All children, at some point, will need some extra attention and the Daycroft staff has the time and commitment to provide it. From a physical perspective, children have gym three or four times per week. Plus, of course, recess. At the Zeeb campus, there are two playgrounds with age-appropriate equipment - one for lower elementary and a second for upper elementary. Zeeb has a garden, pond, and wetlands for the children to use in their curriculum. Some classrooms also include yoga daily for the children which has been a wonderful thing. Check out Daycroft Montessori - you'll be glad you did.

This is a great facility for various events. We attended this for a clogging workshop and it was…read morevery nice. The floors were great for the taps on our shoes! There are 3 floors in this building with stairs or elevators. This is real close to the downtown area with nearby restaurants and bars.

From the owner: For nearly two decades, the Jackson School of the Arts has been a leading provider in art, dance,…read moretheater, and music education. As a nonprofit organization with a mission to make the arts accessible to all children, we offer subsidized fees that are based on household income. Our programs run year round and most classes are offered after the school day so that children, youth and adults can have a place to discover and experience the arts. We also offer classes during the day for preschool aged children and homeschoolers. Our instructors are nurturing and work with students at his/her own level. This is a place where all are welcomed and encouraged. We also offer a host of special events and programs. You can learn more at jacksonarts.org and feel free to contact us with any questions your might have. Call 517.784.2389 or email at info@jacksonarts.org

This daycare has a policy that they do not wipe bottoms after a child uses the bathroom. My child…read morecame home multiple times with poop in her underwear. She kept getting urinary tract infection after urinary tract infection. Before I enrolled my child I had an agreement with the director that my child would be watched while she was using the restroom. That definitely was not done. My daughter was not given her medicine when she should have. Most of the staff do not have strong backgrounds in child care. Many of the staff have 2nd jobs and go to school so they are not fully devoted to the children's needs. When confronting the staff about an issue I got the response many times, "I wasn't here." This even came from the director, who's job it is to know what goes on in her facility. There was also a time that my child didn't get the main part of her lunch I sent with her to school. There was an instance when my child said another child hit her and the staff member who wasn't even around to see what had happened told my daughter the it wasn't nice to lie. It was just one thing after another. I am upset with myself for not pulling my child out of there sooner.

I would say that St. Pat's School is much more than a top-notch education. It is a family and a…read morecommunity in which reverence, respect and responsibility are not just buzz words, but a way of life. The staff is tremendous and the environment is second to none. A great investment in your child's future!