My daughter is in her third year of Clementine, and it is an absolutely amazing school. The…read moreteachers are caring, thoughtful, and complete experts at instilling a love of learning in young children. They write weekly emails with pictures and descriptions of children performing their Montessori "works" and are very responsive to questions or concerns. The kids always get to play outside, almost no matter the weather, and if it is nice they sometimes take field trips around the city or down to the Schuylkill river. There is also a small garden outside where the kids grow vegetables. My daughter has learned so much over the past three years. She never wants to leave at the end of the day.

My older son is in his third year at Clementine Montessori (now in Kindergarten) and we have been…read morevery happy with the school. It is a small, warm community with great communication between teachers and parents. The kindergarten experience is unique, small, and personalized. The kindergarteners have mini-units taught but a different teacher each month and Spanish once a week. They tie in so many field trips in their curriculum and really use the city as their playground. My younger son just started in a different classroom and we are really loving it for him as well, his teachers are wonderful, structured, and caring, really just what he needs.

Our family loves Little City! Joining as a toddler, my son loved the transition to school from…read morebeing home full time and the care the teachers gave him to help him develop socially and academically. The teachers and staff are passionate about providing high-quality care using the Montessori method. As parents, we appreciate the communication from the teachers AND staff. The parent community at Little City is so strong and families have developed strong connections through the school. Throughout the year, my son learned to be independent, took pride in his work, and applied many of his learnings at home. He began putting his shoes away in their place, hanging his coat on the hook by himself, setting the table during dinner, and wanting to help out while we cook in kitchen. His growth over the last year has been so impressive!

This school, the people who run it, the teachers and the family community have been like an…read moreextension of our family (especially living through a pandemic). The school communicates clearly, openly and inclusively on all matters regarding the health, safety and growth of the children. They treat their employees with respect and support --- and it shows through how they in turn treat all children/parents. They are rooted in and supportive of the community that surrounds the school. Definitely a gem within the neighborhood and city! I highly recommend this as a place to entrust your child's learning and development.

All three of my children have gone through Amigos Preschool, and as my youngest prepares to…read moregraduate, I feel both excitement for him and real sadness that our time here is ending. Amigos is truly a special place. The staff welcomes children in a way that makes them feel safe, loved, and at home from the moment they walk through the door. Drop-offs are happy, and kids leave smiling every day. The depth of learning through play is outstanding. My children learned numbers, colors, and letters organically, along with lessons about the seasons, community helpers, and the world around them--all through play, art, and exploration. The Spanish program is exceptional; children develop a strong and meaningful Spanish vocabulary. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Amigos Preschool. It is truly one of the best in the city, and I am forever grateful for the care, nurturing, and education my children received during their most formative years.

Finding Amigos has been a transformative experience for our family. We were looking for more than…read morejust a childcare center; we wanted an environment that nurtured our children's whole self. The holistic approach here is evident in everything they do--from the way they encourage emotional intelligence to the creative, immersive, and play-based curriculum. Our children don't just 'know' Spanish; they are becoming truly bilingual in a way that feels natural and effortless. More importantly, the teachers have instilled a profound sense of confidence in our kids through the unconditional love and care they provide on a daily basis. Seeing our children bound into the classroom with a smile every morning is the greatest peace of mind a parent can have. Although I am proud to say my older child is 4 and ready to master Kindergarten, it is important to note that Amigos isn't just preparing kids for kindergarten; they are creating lifelong learners who love school. P.S. If you enroll in extended day, students participate in weekly after school activities like music, yoga, soccer, dance, and/or gymnastics.

Advantages: * A foreign language and the great French…read moreteachers * Declamation * The small class sizes * The backup care as a flat fee (takes it off the mind about getting care for most needed days) * The school spirit activities Disadvantages: * The horrible, unorganized administration * The small class sizes Don't expect any Einsteins to come from here -- due to Einstein not speaking until he was 4, this school would have filtered him out as an inappropriate student. The fact that they post a poster that says "Everyone is welcome and accepted here" is misleading. The administration are only concerned with low maintenance children, so don't go to this school unless you are sure that your child is cookie-cutter. There is tons of busy work, which I'm not sure results in learning, as my child got 80-100% on everything, but the administration told us that our child was underperforming. The administration of the school didn't even congratulate us when our child got an external award, which left us with a cold feeling. I know that this review will not make a difference since the Philly school system is so messed up, that you're desperate to get your child ahead and will send your kid here no matter what. So, let me be honest here -- St. Peters is good until it's not (meaning that if you have a child that's out of the norm). So in most cases, you're probably OK and will have a pleasant experience. Given that most parents reading this are sending their kid to pre-k/kindergarten and have no idea what their child will be like in their academics, let me give some advice. If this school asks you to get a psycho-educational evaluation, DO NOT DO IT (or do it eventually on a long wait list at a more affordable college but refuse to give it to them). We did it, spent a fortune, and St. Peters hardly tried to accommodate the child given the evaluation. We thought that they would truly take it to heart and that the "personalized attention" that they try to imply through the small class sizes, would materialize. NOTHING. They just used it to get rid of the child. It was quite disappointing because the teachers seemed really lazy about trying new things... they would occasionally try something that worked with my child and then would stop and complain later about the child and I would have to ask "why aren't you doing X incentive that worked"? Beyond this, if they do go after your child, do not feel alone. I have heard countless stories about them getting rid of perfectly normal and especially gifted children who just cause them extra work. I feel like they create an atmosphere that parents are constantly in fear and panic because they put pressure on parents to do their heavy lifting. For me, "homey don't play that" with their large tuition. But they don't care and kick kids out all the time. Apparently, they don't need the money because of Philly's lacking schools that create desperate parents. Moral of the story: Elect officials who will build Philly's public schools, give to your public schools (even if you don't go there). Because without good competition, private schools don't have to care about every child and surely don't care that children are unique, fragile blooms. Extra negative notes: There is so much evidence of lack of organization -- some major announcements are not until the last minute, I got the initial advice to read the newsletter like a bible because there are things buried in there, and their graduation took 3 hours, with kids as young as 7 having to wait without dinner until 8:30 to get out. Extra positive note: At least they organized an afterschool program with a flat fee.

I have two sons at the school and a third will enter next year. I cannot say enough about the…read moreschool, the students, teachers, and parents. My boys thrive on the small classroom environment; although, my daughter did not, so the intimacy isn't for everyone. She opted for a larger school (Masterman) and was very well prepared for the academic rigor of that school, because of the foundation provided by St. Peter's School. The traditions (May Day, declamations, Branches of May, etc) provide families and the entire community with opportunities to share in--and support--the development of the students. I've found the teachers and administration to be responsive and a source of wisdom and support. My family has enjoyed 10 years at the school and we're looking forward to another nine years!

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.

I can't recommend Bala House highly enough. My oldest child loved her experience here so much she…read morecontinues to return for visits and events even as an alum. My younger child is a current student and absolutely loves it as well. The facilites are clean, pleasant, and thoughtfully constructed with young people in mind. Every single teacher is fantastic and kind. They go above and beyond to guide your child to reach their fullest potential.

My husband and I (and our daughter) are so grateful for this school. The administrators, staff, and…read moreteachers are all excellent. Not only are the teachers highly trained, qualified, career educators; every staff and administrative member here seems highly qualified and committed to creating a positive, educational environment. The curriculum and resources are wonderful, and the space (particularly the renovated rooms) beautiful. They offer flexible schedules with many different options for working parents or those that just want their child to benefit from the Montessori mornings. We really appreciate the fact that they foster, teach, practice, and celebrate diversity. One of our favorite events was the school's International Dinner. The outdoor space is great, and they have art, tumble tots, and music programs weekly, special events for the kids throughout the year (such as animal visits, ballet shows, music performances), in addition to the Montessori program and the after-care options (which features a lot of creative play, cooking, and play spaces that are updated with new themes monthly). I strongly believe that any childcare setting should make you feel happy whenever you walk in- and that is the case for us. I love walking in to Bala House. To be honest, I was actually very worried and unsure about starting my daughter in a Montessori school. I had never had this experience and from the outside the teaching model seemed a little cold and isolating. Also, my daughter has a ton of energy and I was worried she'd be too wild to sit nicely on a little mat "doing her work." And I was worried about the class size- 24 kids seemed like a lot. But, I was surprised to find that despite being on the young end, she sits and focuses on her projects. She seems to enjoy the opportunity to choose activities for herself, and she gets tons of interactions with other kids, in a mixed-age setting (she loves the older kids!) She's made a ton of friends and is learning so much- socially, emotionally, and academically. And- many days she begs me for more time at pick-up, which I take as the most important stamp of approval ;) I also have to note what a great experience this has been for us as parents, to have this community. When we moved here from out of state last summer, not only did my daughter quickly, happily, and easily transition into the summer camp program (a great way to transition in, by the way- although they also have "phasing in" days for new students to help with this process) - but we also had an instant network. It was easy to make friends through the school's many events and parent's association. It is a community I'm enormously grateful for. Finally, I have to give a shout out to Miss Adiya. We love you! :-)

My daughter loves this school and so do my wife and I. My daughter has attended Little Learners…read moresince she was 1 and is now almost 3. In that time she has learned many things, but her language and social skills are what have really stood out to us. By age 2, she was saying her ABCs almost all the way through, counting as high as 20, and identifying shapes and colors like a pro. We're very thankful to have a school that is both affordable and flexible with her schedule, as it changes from week to week based on my work schedule. All around Little Learners is a top notch preschool. We know our daughter will be be prepared for Kindergarten.

The staff is very professional. They are friendly to the children my children are happy to go there…read moreevery day I really enjoy seeing them smile when I drop them off and smile when I pick him up. Its always super clean and organized!! Wonderful day care!!

My daughter Romi has been going to this school since she was 18 months and she is now 2 1/2 and…read morethriving! The teachers are amazing and the environment really sets up kids for success

I really don't understand what the deal is with this school. I have a 22 month old daughter and we…read moreare looking for preschools for her every other school i contacted has returned my calls or emails to schedule a tour. Even though I emailed and left various voicemails to this school noone has ever returned my calls or emails. I think they lack basic courtesy.