My son and daughter both attended Little Sprout Academy in Sharon, one for 3 years and the other for 4 years. I highly recommend Little Sprout (LSA) for anyone looking for a daycare or preschool for your child. This is a wonderful school with loving and caring adults. From early on my children were getting hugs and affection from the teachers which made me feel great every time I dropped off. They were always genuinely happy to greet me and my children every morning and afternoon. My children received an excellent preschool education there - and grew tremendously both socially and academically. Both of them have made amazing friendships with students and connections with teachers. Highlights for my children have been the home cooked lunches and healthy snacks, outdoor play time, thematic play based units, exposure to different languages and cultures, tinkering table, plays and performances, and classroom jobs. Ina and Mark, the directors, know each child and family personally and create a wonderful space for children to learn and play. I am an educator myself and I can't say enough good things about the teachers and staff. Please go and take a tour and see for yourself what a special place it is. read more

I can't say enough good words about this day care . My son started there at 1 year old and now he is 4. This place made an amazing impact on his development and growth. The teachers and the owners really love each child and treat them with so much care and love. To be able to trust someone to take care of your child is really hard and I can say with my eyes closed that I can leave to work in the morning knowing my child in the best hands possible and well taken care of . There is not many places like that and if you are looking for loving environment for your child this is the place HANDS DOWN!!!! read more

We switched our 2.5 year old daughter to Little Sprout Academy from another day care two months ago, and we are so glad we did. For starters, our daughter seems far happier at Little Sprout then she did at our previous place. Sure, in the morning she doesn't want to get out of bed and go (who does?) but once she's there she is happy to be there, and she is excited to tell us about her day when we pick her up. More important to us, her teacher (Sandy) really seams to understand our daughter's strengths and weaknesses, works on them with her at school while suggesting things we can do at home to work on them. Fantastic daycare, with fantastic staff. We'll definitely be keeping our daughter there until Kindergarten. read more

My son has been at Little Sprouts for a little over three years now, and I have nothing but wonderful things to say. His first day care was wonderful when he was a wee little guy so I though it would be easy to find a new one when we moved to Sharon and I couldn't have been more wrong. I hated almost every place I walked into until I found Little Sprouts. The minute I walked it I knew it was the right place. Every teacher there is so obvious how much they care about your child and that's the most important thing. They are honest whether your kid had a good day or a bad day, and they are always there to offer encouragement and advice (to parents and kids). They feed them healthy meals, and somehow get my little guy to eat broccoli (at least the stems). All I can say is I love this place, and I'm going to truly miss is when he starts kindergarten this fall. read more

Little Sprout Academy is the most amazing place I can dream of ever for my child!!! The director Ina is passionate by education and full of creativity to allow children to learn at a high academic level while enjoying and playing. All the staff is loving, nurturing and sincerely caring. My child is extremely happy there and I can really see how much she is learning and enjoying. Two other important points: great organic food and lots of outside activities. Highly and strongly recommend! read more

As a parent, I entered the Pre-K years still trying to figure out my 'new' self as a parent and not confident in my needs and parenting values because I was so afraid that I was probably wrong and I might mess up my child in some way no matter how hard I worked and how diligently I tried not to mess up Finding Little Sprout Academy for our family has been amazingly life changing in so many ways. Honestly, this review is probably more about mine and my husband's growth as parents through LSA, as much as it is about our child's experience. They and their staff are part of a small group of people in our life who have provided a path through these early years of parenting that allowed my husband and me to flourish for our kids - they gave us space and support that built our confidence and allow us to say on a daily basis, "yes, we can do this and, as a matter of fact, we ARE doing this!" We started our pre-K journey with our first son at a different school, it was a wonderful experience for our son, he learned a lot and made wonderful friends. However, my husband and I never felt like it was a perfect match for us, but we had no idea why. We thought Pre-K wasn't about us anyway and it was a great school, so we needed to maybe get over ourselves However, when my work schedule changed and I needed support for my other son who was too young for our current school, we discovered Little Sprout Academy somewhat serendipitously. The moment I met Ina, I all of a sudden understood myself as a parent, like poof - a magic wand. I wanted to hug her. She made me like myself as a parent and feel capable and "successful." I could go on and on with stories and examples, however for the sake of a "review length" narrative. I will note the things that I now recognize are most important in Pre-K education for me and our family. -Healthy food is a huge part of their day! Ina uses as much organic and local food as possible and everything is cooked for them daily. She also has a deep knowledge and interest in food and manages the total picture of what they consume during their school day - not just analyzing each item out of context. I witnessed one lunch and saw the teachers assist with their food, i.e. they monitor that the kids are eating a balanced meal and not just consuming the 'kid friendly' items like pasta. They eat veggies and protein first and get a reasonable amount of other items. They eat family style so they all eat the same (with accommodations for diet restrictions). The kids bake, cook and eat their self-made food often. My son eats such an amazing variety of food and rarely refuses to not try things. -The kids get dirty! The kids investigate everything. They get their hands into their projects both inside and outside. They spend a lot of time outside in the wonderful space in the back. -They get clean! Ina approaches process from a slow and mindful place. There is time and attention to the kids learning good processes and caring for themselves to stay healthy moving forward, such as hand washing skills (and especially around food), changing clothes for their nap time (committing to the task at hand), indoor/outdoor shoes, etc. -Sustainability and global mindfulness is central to our experience there. It is not advertised in their marketing - one might think this is just a simple Pre-K experience based on the website, however there are so many things connected to sustainable practices, a healthy planet and raising kids who can discern need versus want and the global beauty and need of our world. The kids are taught about food waste, taking only what they need, they celebrate EVERYTHING at school - presenting every cultural experience and aesthetic as valuable and beautiful, their art work is expansive yet modest and meaningful, i.e. they work on projects at school across a variety of artistic mediums and come home with a manageable display of their work for parents to enjoy (and parental archiving). The work that does come home is usually a half sheet of paper with art on both sides - fully explored and recyclable. -They support the parents as much as the kids. We have no local family. Sometimes life gets chaotic and really challenges our sense of 'being' as a parent. Ina is one of the calmest, kindest, and strongest people I have ever met. To run a school with that many families and new parents, never wavering in her values and purpose, and while providing the parents so much space and support while we all figure it out, to me, takes one extremely special person. She focuses on the most important items, the kids, her values/purpose, and the families as a whole and does not get bogged down with the ancillary items. I find she therefore creates a cultures that respects this and one another - everyone knows we can't have everything nor do everything. read more

Every day my daughter is looking forward to coming to school. She very much enjoy her time in school and learning new things each and every day. She participate in a variety of activities and events and enjoy both her teachers and classmates company. She is having a great time and lots of fun too! Highly recommended!!! read more

Very nice family-style daycare place. They got home-cooked meals for kids, so you don't need to send food with child. And they actually make sure your child is eating well. Lots of space to play. Great attention to kids and any specifics you'd like them to pay close attention to. They got my child potty trained at the age of 1 year and 10 months in a matter of 2 weeks. Lots of work on their part. Excellent attention to details. I get report cards every year about my child progress. Highly recommend!!! read more

Little Sprout Academy is an amazing place, where children are loved, cared for, challenged, educated and observed. Daily feedback is given back with concentration on a kid's social emotional milestones. Photos are posted daily, so you can be a part of your kid's daily life and activities. When you are looking at these photos, you see the light, the curiosity, and pure happiness in your kids' eyes. Kids are fed a full breakfast and hot lunch, so you don't need to worry (yes, with soup!!! they will eat all of their soup and veggies!!!! a true miracle!!!). My kid eats breakfast everyday but if he is not in the mood for mom's cooking, I know he will eat a healthy hot breakfast at Little Sprouts. Truly amazing place!!! read more

My son transitioned to Little Sprout Academy (LSA) from Bright Horizons and I wish we found LSA sooner! They are truly amazing and one of a kind. First, from the owners to every single teacher, everyone who works there has a true passion for taking care of and teaching children. I have seen such a leap in development in my son and he is so happy there (it's a struggle to leave each day). LSA also has a wonderful small family feel, they teach exceptional values (that I know other daycares do not), they have a very individual approach to learning and build exceptional social and emotional skills. Another aspect that really sets them apart is their healthy food choices - I absolutely LOVE their approach to nutrition, it is a life-saver for working parents and knowing that my child is able to eat healthy meals (that's right, not snacks but nutritious meals!) is such a peace of mind. I also learned so much from the teachers about discipline and tips at home. They always very collaborative and really know what they are doing. Additionally, they help foster friendships between children and are so thoughtful about making sure every child thrives. I highly recommend Little Sprout Academy and we are so happy our son goes there! read more

This is the best pre-school around. My child has attended LSA for 3.5 years. It's clean, the teachers feed the children home made fresh ingredients, they have lots of fun and lots of learning activities. The kids love it. There's a great yard for the children to play - a lot of effort put into teaching and making learning fun. Children are not bored. The schools puts on musicals on top of the incredible science/math/art/reading/writing exposure. They should take over public schools - they know what they're doing and they make learning fun. All kids are taught and cared for individually. You won't find better. read more

This is our 5th daycare in 3 years and I think we finally found a place for my daughter until she's ready for school. Many reasons why this one is different from others: home-cooked meals (and we aren't talking mac & cheese), they make actual salads and soups, meat and veggies. They make their own pies and cookies where kids help with the stirring. My daughter says she only eats Mark's and Ina's cooking, which is fine because I know she's well fed 5 days a week and if she only wants to eat salad and buckwheat at home, I know she's not starving. Besides the food, the kids are always engaged in activities, from morning to evening. Even when outside, the teachers are playing with the younger ones. There is no such concept of kids doing whatever before circle time and after 4 pm while the teachers are yapping with each other about their evening plans. They take pictures of what they do during the day at the center and it seems very educational. My daughter likes going there, I can never get her to go home in the evening. I think Ina and Mark really put their soul into these kids and it makes such a big difference when kids know that their care-givers actually care about them. I can go on and on about why I love this place, and yes, it is more expensive than other programs, but it is so worth it if you can afford it. read more