My son is a busy, active, wiggly little guy who has trouble sitting still during circle time, and he often demands justification for "why" he has to sit still, etc. Despite these challenges, the teachers at JLU have been patient, optimistic, and encouraging. He truly feels loved and cared for, and I love bringing him. Because he is so loved, he has grown emotionally and is on his way to being a strong student. He has thrived in their program and is definitely Kindergarten ready. He can count to 100, knows over 30 site words, can sound out words, knows common (and some peripheral) Bible stories by heart, knows all of his shapes and colors (and sometimes the colors I don't even know that are in the Crayola box!), and he has learned to love learning. He is even interested in artists Giacomo Puccini (I had to Google him!) because he was introduced to them at JLU. He loves animals, and has learned a great deal about them at JLU, even animals I have never heard of such as a narwhal. I noticed his love of music when he was 2, and thought he may have talent in that area. That was confirmed by his former teacher (who is now a music teacher), so he has begun taking piano lessons. He loves it, and his teacher is very impressed by his progress! The greatest benefit besides their emphasis on a quality curriculum program (I've been teaching for 22 years, so I am picky about curriculum), is the emphasis they place on behavior. They encourage the kids to make good choices and to apologize to each other and to forgive each other. My little guy has been apologized to by his friends, heard "I'm sorry," and has been asked to forgive another friend. He has also been naughty himself and had had teachers kindly lead him through that process. This carries into his everyday life. One day, I was angry with a friend who had borrowed money and hadn't paid me back after months. I was discussing this with another mutual friend, and I didn't know that my son was listening. He quickly piped up and said, "But Mama, you have to forgive him. Jesus says." It was a watershed moment for me. It was no longer about money for me; it was about being an example of forgiveness in front of my son. I let it go, and was thrilled that he is learning these life lessons at JLU. I can not recommend them enough. The kids truly love each other, it has a positive atmosphere, and I love that the teachers call the kids "friends". I have also found the parents to be kind, involved, caring, and generally good people. Finally, I have found all of his teachers to be knowledgeable,kind, patient, and truly loving of the kids. When my little guy needs a hug, they are right there. I have had to pick him up when he has gotten ill, and when I arrive, he is being held or cuddled by a teacher, the director, or the owner herself. One time, he suddenly broke out into hives. The owner took pictures of his face for me, called me, filled out a report, and texted the pictures to me for his pediatrician. Good thing...the hives were all but gone by the time we got to his doctor's office. The doctor was also impressed, and immediately diagnosed him with a common virus that causes hives to come and go at will, often after napping. I am so happy I chose JLU. They also do not nickel and dime you or make you fundraise for them. You don't have to bring in money or snacks or classroom supplies. They run a couple of donation programs around Christmas, but it is just to teach the kids to be generous, not to get extra money from the parents. If they had a Kindergarten program, my son would be enrolled in it. read more

I was browsing local childcare reviews in hopes to find a good fit for my grandchild... a recent negative review caught my attention. Four Stars... because nobody is perfect. Parenting is a lifetime subscription, but we often enroll children in daycare with the unspoken (or it seems in this case with highly spoken) expectations of hoping trained staff will "straighten out" difficult behavior. While daycare can be a valuable environment for social growth, it is not a miracle cure for deep-seated behavioral issues. Expecting daycare workers to single-handedly transform a child's manners, attitude, or respect for authority is not only unrealistic--it's unfair to both the staff, the child in question, as well as the other children in the classroom. High-quality daycare centers provide structured routines, opportunities for social interaction, and exposure to early learning. Skilled caregivers can model positive behavior, encourage cooperation, and set boundaries. However, their influence is limited by time, context and capacity. A child spends only part of the day in daycare; the rest of their environment--especially at home--has a far greater impact on long-term behavior. Outsourcing children's behavioral challenges hoping it comes with a "90-day fix my kid" guarantee often comes with great disappointment. Teachers and staff are not miracle workers and are tasked to in helping a classroom of many children thrive in a happy, healthy and safe environment. Soft disciplinary tactics and gentle redirecting always sound better within intervention plans, but in reality, administrators have to take into account their teachers and the other children's safety and mental wellbeing. Sounds like this center took the welfare of their teachers and other families seriously and recognized that some cases call for more specialized and intensive behavioral care as well as parental support and guidance. Putting a childcare center on blast with a negative review doesn't seem to fill the void. Perhaps a more productive use of time would be to have the root causes of inappropriate behavior further explored or perhaps finding therapeutic parental support will help with caring forward. Best wishes and success to all. This is in response to a recent review. FULL DISCLOSURE I am not affiliated with JLU or know the parties involved. I don't claim to be in an expert; however, I am a retired preschool teacher and have experienced, across the gamut, the wild expectations of parents' vs the reality of limitations. read more

I am extremely disappointed with the care my son received at this daycare. My son has behavioral challenges, and I was the one who initiated discussions about creating a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) to help him succeed. During the meeting, I left feeling hopeful that we finally had a plan in place, especially since the daycare agreed to the strategies outlined. Unfortunately, once behaviors occurred, many of those agreed-upon interventions were not consistently implemented. Instead of following the plan, situations were often allowed to escalate until my son was ultimately terminated from the program. Throughout our time there, I frequently felt that my son was viewed as a problem rather than a child who needed support. I was expected to provide incentives and workbooks for staff to use because the daycare did not have appropriate resources available. I was regularly informed when my son injured another child, but there were multiple occasions when I was not informed about injuries my own child sustained. I was also concerned by some staff interactions. On one occasion, a teacher took my son's paper, crumpled it up, and threw it away in front of him, which only escalated an already difficult situation rather than helping to de-escalate it. There were too many children for the number of staff available, and I did not see evidence that staff had adequate training to support children with significant behavioral needs. It often felt as though any unexplained issue or injury involving another child was automatically assumed to be my son's fault. What was most frustrating was being told that the daycare could not accommodate my child after agreeing to a behavior plan that was never fully implemented. The final comment that they would "pray we find a placement" felt especially dismissive after months of struggling to get the agreed-upon support in place. Parents of children with behavioral or additional support needs should carefully consider whether this program is equipped to provide the accommodations and interventions it promises. While I understand that not every daycare can meet every child's needs, I expected honesty about those limitations from the beginning rather than assurances that support would be provided and then not consistently delivered. read more

Without a doubt, JLU is my favorite day care. The teachers are caring, experienced, knowledgable and are focused with creating a safe environment for children. I love the JLU mission - love to learn, learn to love. Its truly an incredible place. read more

JLU is everything our family hoped for in a daycare. My son lights up when talks about his teachers and friends. (Which he does often.) The staff is so loving toward all the children and parents. It's a wonderful place that encourages children to love God and each other. read more