My daughter has been enrolled in this school since she was 18 months old and she is currently in…read moretheir kindergarten program. We loved this school since our first day there and have never ever had any problems. The teachers and staff are amazing to work with. They keep us informed of what goes on throughout the day and she comes home everyday with age and skill appropriate work . She has absolutely blossomed in this caring and nurturing environment. If you are looking for a preschool, it'd be a disservice to your child if you didn't check out Judy Sare! We will be sad when it finally comes time for her to move into first grade but thankfully they have an equally as awesome summer camp program!!

Now that my son has been at Formative Years Preschool for a year and a half, I can safely say that…read morethis is an incredible school with loving teachers, welcoming students, and an engaging curriculum; my son loves it and has blossomed since starting in September 2014. After trying (and failing) at a more trendy, less-structured preschool, we found the structure we needed at Formative Years. My son feels safe and comfortable knowing when free play time, circle time, snack time, etc. will be each day. Each day is designated as a cooking, science, music, sports, show-n-tell, or library day, and each week has a letter of the week and other themes to inform the classroom activities, so I know that the students are exposed to a variety of subjects. While the school does academic activities like practicing letters and counting, handwriting, etc., the emphasis is truly on play and discovery. I feel like my son is learning the life skills he needs (e.g. socializing, taking turns, sharing, etc.) to be successful in Kindergarten. Nestled in an old church building on 20th and Lombard, the school makes great use of the neighborhood as a classroom. Students take "nature" walks around the neighborhood to search for signs of each season, walk to the public library each week, picnic in Rittenhouse Square, and take field trips to Sound All Around (through the Philadelphia Orchestra), Taney Park, fire stations, and other spots around the community. The school helps students connect to their community. The teachers in the school are wonderful. Ann, the head teacher and director of the school, maintains high expectations for her students, and still maintains a positive, nurturing relationship with each student. Even when my son misbehaves at school, he knows he'll still get a kind word and a hug from Ann when it's time to go home. The care, respect and love I observe between the teachers and students is heartwarming and reassuring. When I first toured the school, I was a little disappointed that the school didn't have a playground, but my son hasn't missed it at all. Instead, the school blocks off an adjacent street or courtyard and fills it with toys (scooters, balls, bubbles, etc.) and the kids have a great time. Formative Years does an excellent job ensuring that little kids have the chance to move their bodies, so even when the weather is bad, the school pulls out scooters and has a small structure to climb on inside the classroom. Here are some logistics: The school is one big classroom with 3, 4, 5 year olds mix together. Formative Years provides after-school care to students at Chester Arthur and Greenfield schools, so there are some KG and 1st graders who come later in the day. Parents have a great deal of flexibility in scheduling, students can choose to attend half or full days (or a mix) and can choose which days of the week they attend (although it has to be consistent). The school is perfect for working parents since they rarely close (e.g. you won't get saddled with trying to find day care for a weeklong winter break in the middle of February), and hold regular hours when the public schools have delays or early dismissals. When I was shopping around for preschools, I did notice that the Formative Years website was out of date, so I'd encourage prospective parents to look past that technological faux pas and go ahead and set up a tour. When we were shopping for schools, I found it interesting that my son didn't end up loving the fancier schools with the indoor sandboxes, instead he loved the simpler school with the friendly kids and teachers who welcomed him and made him feel at home immediately. My son has continued to grow and thrive at Formative Years, and I would encourage families to check out the school when they start shopping for preschool.

Hands-down the best pre-school in Center City! The Director is amazing. She has managed to create…read moreone of the most nurturing, educational environments I have ever experienced. The parents are very involved and the children are wonderful. They make full use of a multiple of resources within the city. They go to the library weekly, go to the Orchestra, take trips all around the city, provide an individualized learning experience for each child, and even have a Chess Club! My daughter blossomed at Formative Years....we absolutely loved it!

My daughter was enrolled at new gulph for a bit over one year. We chose new gulph because I went…read morethere as a child and we had very high hopes. Reality set in after a few months when we realized our expectations were nowhere near reality. Without getting into the details, we were very disappointed in the quality of the care our daughter received. I'm not surprised the daycare has since closed.

We've had our daughter here for 9 months now and have not looked back. She's been previously…read moreenrolled in other 'corporate' daycares in the area and the difference is just tremendous. The teachers alone have been employed there for for decades and every time I walk in there, they're actively engaged with the children. Food is provided so we literally drop our kids off in the morning with no preparation needed and pick them up in the afternoon. My life is sooo much simpler! The parents at this school are actively involved in the running of this facility so you know they care. There is just no question in my mind whether or not I've placed my child in the best environment in the area.

Our son has been a student at House at Pooh Corner for a year now and I can say that this is a…read morespecial school. There are many things I like about this school--the love and patience shown by the teachers, the intentional community-building, the inclusive atmosphere--but what really sets it apart to me is thought and care that goes into the design of the educational experience. I am a teacher, and I think a lot about how an educator's vision affects how students learn. My experience has been that many daycare centers either lack any educational vision at all, or else teach a "canned" curriculum devised by an institution outside the school. Not so at Pooh Corner. The educational director works with the teachers to develop a curriculum that is appropriate for THESE SPECIFIC KIDS and reflects their interests. They do special projects based on whatever the kids are excited about--my son's class did a project on shoes, and then another on "gravity" (things going up and falling down). The kids get exposure to lots of different kinds of learning experiences. They have a weekly science class that involves gardening, composting, and bugs. This is not just "experiential" science either--they collect data on their plants (I don't think they call it that, but that's what it is) and compare the ones growing inside and outside! There are options like Spanish class and dance class as well. This is all in the context of lots of free play with a great outdoor playspace, as well as time for physical skills, reading, letters, and numbers. However even the letters and numbers are incorporated thoughtfully into the things that the kids are interested in. The school works as a team with families on big changes like potty training--it made it so easy for us, I think he went from diapers to underpants in two days. They also encourage kids to do as much as possible by themselves, which helps them to be independent.

After a very disappointing experience at another daycare, I can confidently say that House at Pooh…read moreCorner is everything you want and can expect from a daycare. We send our current toddler there, and we plan to send our future infant there as well. (And we plan to have them grow through each class within the center.) The daycare is well staffed and has floating staff, so each room is always equipped with the minimum (often more than) number staff required for each age group. This helps the staff morale, as it seems that no one is over or underworked. The staff is friendly, knowledgable and truly cares about the children and the community. And many staff members have been there for many years (some are former students of Pooh Corner). Notable Pros: -Staff members are ALWAYS "on the floor". They are never sitting in a chair and on cell phones (unfortunately, many other daycares accept this). Staff are actively involved and playing with and teaching the children. -Lesson plans are sent through email weekly. Other emails are sent with pictures of events and other things that the community is involved in. -There is a strong community mentality. Pooh Corner is a welcoming community with many volunteer events, art shows, and social events (at the center and at parents' homes). -Everybody knows everyone else. Because of the movement of staff floaters and the community mentality, everyone knows my wife, my daughter and me, when I walk in (from the director, to the pre-school teachers, to all of my daughter's teachers in the toddler room). This truly makes me feel like my daughter is in safe and caring hands. -Outdoor play everyday (weather permitting). They have a wonderful playground and do things like water play in the summer. -They have a focus on sustainable practices and organic materials. They welcome cloth diapers provide organic sunscreen and bug spray during the spring/summer.

EXCELLENT!!! My child has been enrolled at this learning center since he was 12 weeks old. He is…read morenow 2 and the entire experience has been wonderful! They have a very strong curriculum which includes music classes, Head Start Sports, and computer classes. Weekly lesson plans are emailed to the parents keeping us well informed! The atmosphere is very loving and nurturing. The administration and staff are very professional and friendly, and the facility is neat and clean. The outside play ground is fabulous and quite large! There are many staff members who have been on staff for over 10 years, which to me, speaks for itself! The center has an open door policy for parents, and parents are encouraged to take advantage of this policy. Parents are also encouraged to sign up to come in during the day and participate in their child's classroom activities, such as reading a book to the class. I can not say enough good things about this center and the center's program and would highly recommend Christ Lutheran Child Care Center to anyone who is looking for somewhere to send their child (6 weeks-pre-K)!

As a grandparent, we've had a great experience with Lightbridge Academy. The facility is always…read moreclean, which is very important to us, and the teachers and assistants are consistently happy, friendly, and welcoming. One of the things that really stands out is how much our grandson has learned. For just 2 1/2 years old, he already knows so much, and it's clear the staff puts real effort into helping the children grow and develop. A special thank you to Miss Shannon--she is truly wonderful. She is caring, patient, and goes above and beyond to make sure the children feel comfortable and supported. It's clear she loves what she does. They also bring in lots of special guests, which keeps things fun and exciting for the kids and gives them new experiences beyond the classroom. Overall, we're very pleased and would definitely recommend Lightbridge Academy to other families looking for a caring and engaging environment.

A local institution…read more P.I.C. has conscientiously built up the quality of the service it provides families in the area, encouraging the development of professional child care staff and offering a working model to many other child care providers. Parent participation in the workings of the program is considered essential, which won't fit with the expectations of those who would just drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day. For those who are comfortable with this 'cooperative' approach, it helps the children absorb the lessons of work-play-learning integrity.

This review is for the playgroups they offer on Mondays and Fridays…read more Last year when it got cold, we were itching for a place to send our Au Pair with our daughter so that she can interact with other kids. Full blown day care was out of the question since we're already dropping dime for our Au Pair. A number of inside parks are on the pricier side, and further away. But the Parent Infant Center, also known as PIC, is close to us and very affordable. If you buy a 5 pack, it's $5 per visit. There are toys, lots of other kids, and they even provide snack time. They usually do some group songs and offer other activities. If you are up for helping, which is a super easy gig, you show up at 9am and help set up. Breaking down is even easier and typically happens while you would be there anyway. In exchange, they don't ask you to pay for that visit and give you three more free visits. Not too shabby. The crew is very nice and this is a great option for kids to interact without footing the bill for full blown daycare.

Can't say enough great things about CHBC! I was looking for a Montessori school for my son and…read morefound this hidden gem in Fairless Hills. I called and they fortunately had availability! I brought my son in and one of the teachers took the time to sit down and evaluate him so we could decide on what class to start him in. He adores his teacher and his classmates! I also love the transparency with what he is learning and enjoy updates from the teacher regarding his development. This school really takes the time to pay close attention to each student which is so important especially in a sea of commercial childcare. I highly recommend this school to anyone looking to get their child started in preschool!

I spent years researching all the schools within 45 minutes of our home and settled on Children's…read moreHouse of Bucks County. This is a nurturing and calm environment and my children have grown, learned, and blossomed. They love it there and I could not be happier with the education they are receiving.