FELP is a warm, inclusive, play based preschool-Kindergarten in Baltimore. They nurture social…read moreemotional development by building authentic, meaningful relationships with children. The teachers are all deeply emapathic and meet each child where they are developmentally. The school also understands the importance of building community and strong relationships with parents and caregivers. My son attended from 3 through kindergarten and it was the most welcoming, supportive space. I give FELP a lot of credit for the curiosity and joy of learning that my son still exhibits as a middle schooler.

My daughter started earlier in the year the Capitol Hill location and from Day 1, it was a…read morewonderful experience. The environment is both living and educational. The focus on self reliance for the children is great, making them well prepared for entering school. The added bonus of an additional language being learned in the classroom is amazing! The staff knows each child and cares for them individually and treats them as little individuals with feelings. That has made me feel so comfortable and confident as I leave my child each day for work. I know she's well taken care of. We have truly enjoyed our time and look forward to rounding our year before school starts in the Fall.

We have been at Kiddie (now University for Kids) since our oldest kid was very young. We started at…read morethe H street location and moved to the F street location when our oldest moved to the preschool class. Our youngest started in the baby room at the F street location. Overall, we've been happy with our experience at both locations. The teachers clearly love the kids, and my daughters have always been happy to go and happy when we pick them up. And importantly, we feel that our kids are safe. Kiddie isn't as fancy as some other daycares, but my girls have still flourished; in particular, my very shy oldest kid really thrived and developed socially and emotionally while also learning other things like her ABCs. They were fantastic during COVID. Even when shut down at the beginning, they set twice daily zooms to give weary parents even a brief break, and they remained open for kids of essential workers. They reopened for everyone far earlier the most daycares, and have been careful but also less strict than many (kids must be 24 hours fever free, can't have more than one symptom, but they won't send you home with a runny nose, so we've actually had child care). And while they follow OPM, they have also reopened when possible if OPM makes a judgement call about inclement weather but then snow doesn't materialize. The communication from the location director could be better and isn't always the most professional, but it is improving. and April who oversees all of the Kiddie locations has been very responsive when we need help resolving billing issues and issues related to reimbursement for dependent care.

I love love this daycare, my daughter who is 2 used to go to a different daycare and someone…read morerecommended this daycare to me. I have never regretted moving my daughter here. They are always ready when I drop or pick her up. She has stopped crying and she is always excited when I drop her off unlike the previous daycare. I feel very good that she is happy when I drop her off. I will recommend this daycare to anyone that I know.

As a full-time working mom, leaving my children in someone else's care every morning is one of the…read morehardest things I have to do. My heart breaks just a little bit more each day, knowing I will miss so many precious moments with children, while someone else will be there to witness so many of their "firsts". It's a feeling I'm sure I share with so many other moms. Thanks to the staff at Insight Kidz, I feel better about leaving them every day because I know they are in the hands of caring professionals who cherish them (almost as much as we do) and seem to understand how much I must miss them every day. The staff has been fantastic about keeping us up-to-date on the highlights, sharing their funny moments and their latest achievements. And the best part is that we don't always have to wait till the end of the day. They send us texts and photos when they know it's a moment we wouldn't want to miss. Their messages brighten my day, make me laugh, and help me to feel that even though we're apart, I'm still with them.

We LOVE this school for our child who is in 2nd grade. She has absolutely blossomed at the school…read morethanks to the wonderful teachers, small class sizes, and tons of attention to each child as an individual. My daughter is KNOW at FCS and that's given her an outsized sense of confidence. The school has systems in place to help each child be their best selves. Structure like having lower school classes in 1/2 and 3/4 classrooms gives the children a chance to take on leadership roles early. They rotate for phonics and math, giving them exposure to other teachers. Art, Science, PE, music and in aftercare instrument lessons, are all wonderful. My child needs extra help in phonics. We work closely with the lower school learning specialist, our homeroom teacher, the phonics support teacher, and our outside-of-the-school tutor. My daughter's teachers proactively coordinate on my daughter's behalf to help her. I'll often see e-mails between our tutor and the phonics learning specialist that I didn't ask for! They just care about my daughter and talk to each other to help her! There are some negative reviews on here. To those I'd say that no school is perfect for all children or all families. I would also say that the school is not set up to cater to kids with sever special education needs, or kids who are performing many grade levels above their age-group. The school focuses on the whole child and we've seen the positive impacts of that socially, emotionally, and academically for our child.

I wholeheartedly endorse the education and experience students receive at Friends Community School!…read moreOur daughter attends FCS and is in First Grade. We are very pleased with the education she is receiving as well as the support she receives from an emotional perspective. Even her spiritual desires are supported and we feel that is incredible. FCS is a school that feels like home and the staff do indeed feel like family. My husband and I are glad to drop her off for school each day knowing that we will come back to pick up a very happy and well-adjusted little girl. Attend an Open House and see for yourself!!

My daughter goes to Silver Oaks. She is a first grader now, so it is our second year. We really…read morelike it. My daughter is sad, when she is sick and can't go to school. The teachers are wonderful. There is so much I want to learn from them! They are calm, positive and knowledgeable. The school has several "specials": Spanish (2 times a week!!), Art, Music and Taekwondo. Kids eat their lunch and snack outside. They also have some free playtime outside. The classes are small, 12-14kids in the class. Looks like academically the school is doing good too. My daughter can read and write already. Knows the same things (maybe even more) than her friends from other schools (public or private).

Warning: This school requests removal of uncomplimentary reviews. They previously removed 2…read morenegative/mixed reviews from other former members. I know this because I was contacted by those former members. We also had a mixed experience at this school. Academics are weak, but outdoor play/work time was nice and plentiful and the community of families was supportive. We wanted this school to be a success, but over time we we observed more and more troubling disconnects between the school's stated ideals and the reality in the classroom.  This would normally be fixable, but unfortunately we also found transparency and openness to constructive feedback to be an issue. Just two of these disconnects are detailed below: 1.) Although I was repeatedly assured by the director and the Kindergarten teacher that Kindergarteners and 1st graders are provided with consistent phonics instruction, it turned out that balanced literacy was actually implemented i the K and 1st grade classrooms. Had the school leadership been transparent about their approach ahead of time, we would have been able to have made an informed decision (and would not have enrolled our kindergartener.) I would encourage all parents of Kindergarten and 1st grade students to research literacy education and in particular the differences between systematic phonics instruction and balanced literacy. Here are some references which may be a good starting point: https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read https://www.apmreports.org/story/2019/08/22/whats-wrong-how-schools-teach-reading https://mobile.edweek.org/c.jsp?cid=25919951&bcid=25919951&rssid=25919941&item=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.edweek.org%2Fv1%2Few%2Findex.html%3Fuuid%3DE973330E-E51D-11E9-9B3A-8AF258D98AAA 2.) Although Silver Oaks presented itself to us as embracing each child's unique character and developmental trajectory, this attitude was missing in our interactions with her teacher. At our mid-year conference we were informed (to our surprise) that our kindergartener's behavior was so outside the norm that a pediatric visit was urgently called for. We were surprised at the teacher's lack of curiosity about school-factors that could be influencing our normally well-behaved child, her emphasis on intrinsic pathology, and her decision to wait so long to communicate what she described as a several months-long pattern. Our experience was not unique. Some children appear to do well, and others don't. Our curiosities about this include: - Are the behavioral expectations at Silver Oaks Cooperative School reasonable for all 5-year olds? Is there some normal variation which is not being permitted? - Are the academic expectations reasonable given the choices of curriculum materials (or lack thereof), the emphasis on independent or small-group work, and the somewhat limited daily academic time (as much of the day is spent outdoors, in free-choice, or in electives). Perhaps it is not possible to do and be all things simultaneously. - Are there too many transitions in a Silver Oaks day (most children struggle with frequent transitions / interruptions from their learning and play)? - Are there too many different teachers/caregivers/coopers with different behavioral expectations and do some children struggle with having so many of those transitions? - Are some children bored or otherwise not being fully engaged academically? We were sorry to part ways with the many lovely families we met, but eventually these and other issues were too big for us to ignore.

The entire school year 25-25 was exceptional. A welcoming and clean facility. I was blown away by…read morethe level of professionalism and proficiency from staff. My daughter entered as a shy 4 year old and graduated ready for kindergarten! Top tier learning!

I am very unimpressed with this school. My child attended and the teacher was very mediocre and did…read morenot listen well enough (cutting people off before they can finish their statement). The director or owner kept finding ways to obtain extra money, such as Thanksgiving lunch and end of the year prom. I understand that's a way for them to make extra money, but the cost is expensive enough without them constantly finding ways to get extra money. My child didn't even seem to be excited about going, which was a change from other school experiences. The work seemed unchallenging and dull. I saw and read the high reviews and I signed my child up with high expectations. I was disappointed with what our actual experience was.

My son started with them when he was around 8 months. They came recommended by my son's…read morePediatrician. I always felt comfortable with the staff from day one. I love that they are a Christian school. My son has loved all his teachers and I feel they make learning fun for the kids. I believe all of the staff that were there when he first started are still there with the exception of one young lady that moved. That's unheard of to retain the same teachers for 4+ years at a daycare. My son missed almost a year because I kept him out when Covid first started. He picked up so much while being back this short time before he goes to elementary. I will miss the entire staff and the level of comfort and trust that I feel sending him to daycare every day.

Kiddies Kollege has been an incredible blessing to our family! The new management has completely…read moretransformed the environment of the school into one where parents are welcome and respected, the teachers feel empowered, and the students are the priority. The biblical foundation my kids received here is incredible and will serve them for years to come. I have recommended KKCC to many of my friends and plan to stay in touch with the teachers my kids had over the years.

Kiddies Kollege Christian Center has been a life changing for our family. The staff are very…read moreprofessional and always helpful. The teachers are incredible as they communicate with parents daily on the daily learning and activities of the children. We are very humble and grateful to be part of this wonderful organization.