I recently moved to Florida from Virginia and started taking…read moremy 2 year old to the Winter Park Day care 3 months ago and I'm so happy I found this daycare. My two year old son loves his teacher Dezi and so grateful to the director Kristin. They are both so wonderful and always communicate with me. You can tell the staff their love kids kids , always friendly and work with kids to learn too I'm just so relieved and I would highly recommend them .

My 20 month old son has been going to First Step Kids Academy since he was 5 months old. He…read moreabsolutely loves going to school everyday. The teachers are all very friendly and seem to love all the children. He is learning so much and also Spanish, which I am ecstatic about. Also you can't beat their pricing!!

Mrs. Leidy and the infant teachers have been amazing with our little girl. Never easy leaving your…read more12 week old to go back to work but I know she is in loving hands and we feel comforted knowing that Mrs. Leidy has worked as a pediatric nurse. That is something that no other centers in our area can offer-- her medical background is invaluable to us! She has already given us great recommendations and goes above and beyond to make sure they are able to provide the best environment to help her grow into a happy and healthy little girl.

Mrs. Hellen (school Director) We have no words to thank you…read morefor all you did for Hannah. This whole entire year in VPK, she has grown so much. The positive outlook that this school has is phenomenal! The kids don't want to leave school They love it here. We will miss you, all the teachers and Mrs. Fio So much. Her teachers were amazing, Mrs. Marlene Alcius and Mrs. Tanya Castillo, so amazing You have all prepared my daughter Hannah for Kindergarten with so much love, care and professionalism. Hannah, loves you so much and we looked to take a picture of you but you were inside, I believe. You are so caring and such a blessing from God Thank you so much for everything. Everything was perfect on her drive-through graduation. We have so much gratitude and pray and hope that many kids can attend this wonderful school, so that their lives will be touched as much as ours was. Hannah had an amazing time and as said before, we will miss you all so much.

Teachers are good at what they do. It's very structured, but children eventually adapt to it. My…read morechild learned a lot here. As for the assessments, I can see where their expectations are a bit too high, rigid, and uniform. I wouldn't feed into it too much. I did at first and became discouraged, which created a stressful environment for my child at home. But then I quickly realized that every child learns differently and at different times and that is OK. 1 star because there's none whatsoever loyalty or appreciation. You're just a dollar sign. Their policies are rigid and they refuse to work with you in any way. They rather lose your business altogether than try to work with you. Obviously every place has policies, I'm not arguing that but simple things such as picking your child up one minute (literally one minute) late only one time in 2 years....or increasing pricing last minute because they decided to implement an unreasonable summer schedule. There's just no real sense of appreciation or loyalty there. And that's important too. I would have paid had they handled it better, but they didn't. I never got an apology for the inaccurate information I was given, not even a reply to my email to them. Nothing. Says a lot when a business is willing to lose you as a customer altogether rather than work with you. Unfortunate because I was a loyal customer for 3+ years.

My 3yr old daughter has been in Yuliya's care for 8 months now, and we could not be happier with…read morethe experience. My daughter is excited to go to school every morning and has lots to share about her busy day when I pick her up. It is clear how much each of the students really loves Yuliya and that they feel safe and supported in her care. Yuliya is also wonderful at communicating with parents. I love the fact that I don't have to go through an app to receive updates. Every day Yuliya texts a few photos and a sentence or two on how the morning went and then takes time to share how the afternoon went during pick up. It all feels very personal. Yuliya is such a thoughtful caregiver and I love her methods of teaching. All of the activities are hands on and often focus on the natural world. She also has a deep passion for books which she helps instill in her students. Yuliya's weekly plans are the perfect combination of structure and free play. Enough structure that the kids understand what the overall schedule is each day, what the theme is for the week, and that for instance Tuesday is playdough day, Wednesday is baking day, and Friday's activity will be for watercolor. But within that structure, Yuliya allows the children to be creative and think independently. She also understands the importance of children playing outside. I wasn't able to find a single school that scheduled more time for outside play than The Ways We Grow. Overall, I have nothing but love and appreciation for Yuliya and The Ways We Grow. We are sad to be ending this chapter and fully support any new ventures Yuliya may embark on.

Yulia is a good friend of our family. Our kids have been playing together and many times I have…read moreleft my kids in Yulia's care with a peaceful mind. She is a great homeschooling mom and a knowledgeable educator. I've seen the results of her work in the way her sons are growing and developing into curious, polite, and well-rounded individuals. I am so excited to see Yulia growing her passion for education into a daycare. You are up for a treat with the Ways We Grow as I am confident all of Yulia's knowledge and love will be poured into creating an amazing atmosphere where your kids can thrive and learn.

My niece currently attends Kids Together. My sister and brother in law did in depth research when…read moresearching for a preschool for their daughter to attend, and they could not be happier with their experience thus far. My sister has to be one of the most OCD people when it comes to health, wellness, and cleanliness. So I know that she would not let my niece spend any amount of time in a place that she did not feel was sanitary. Secondly, kids are bound to get sick, just like us! There's no other way around it. Should I quit my job because I catch the cold my co-worker has passed around? I also find it terrible that one of your issues is "endless fundraising" to charities. There is no pressure to donate. It is completely voluntary. Furthermore, I find it appalling that you are complaining about fundraising for great causes such as "breast cancer." My sister happens to be a cancer survivor, and I've sadly lost several family members to this terrible disease. So if my niece's school wants to take one small step to finding cures for terrible diseases, then I say, more power to them! As far as contributing to the education of our youth's teachers, I completely agree with the other good reviewer. In today's economy, teachers are being let go, budgets cut, and education going on the back burner. I am more than happy to contribute to the training of the teachers who are enriching and educating the lives of our children. After all, they are our future. Also, lots of schools ask for help with supplies. So it's not out of the ordinary. And again, my sister has never felt pressured to pay for anything outside of the regular tuition. Lastly, the comment that got me the most heated when reading this awful, uneducated review, was the fact you were complaining about spending time doing an art activity with your child on the weekend. Are you kidding me? I thought most parents look forward to the weekend to be able to spend that quality time with their children. What an artistic and fun way to do this! I actually have two of my niece's artwork pieces proudly displayed on my refrigerator. She was so excited to hand deliver her artwork that she did specifically for her favorite aunt and uncle. By the time I got to the end of the review and read the complaint about teachers' gifts, I was down right annoyed. I find it nice for the preschool to offer up suggestions for those parents that want to get their children's teachers a thank you gift. I've seen several of my friends ask for teacher gift suggestions on Facebook. If someone can provide a list and make it easier, all the better! Next time you feel the need to leave a bad review of any company, I suggest you bring real disadvantages to the table, instead of these ridiculous ones. I also suggest maybe doing something fun this weekend with your children; if it doesn't take up too much time in your busy schedule!

Do not listen to the illiterate person who wrote the review below. If you read through her horrible…read morereview and notice all the grammar and spelling mistakes, it completely discounts her ability to professionally rate a school. I will address some of her issues before I tell you how amazing this school is... So-called disadvantage #1: First of all, a 2 year old's bowel movements are unpredictable, if the toddler cannot tell the teacher he has pooped, it may take a few minutes for her to notice it.. Secondly, the sickness that your child was experiencing is a normal part of the child getting his immune system prepared for the rest of his life. It is unavoidable for children to be well when around other children but it helps prepare them for society and future illnesses. And FINGER is spelled F-I-N-G-E-R... your toddler may have learned that already from his Kids Together, go ask him. You must've forgotten to add to the advantages the part that your 2yr old was sitting down independently reading a book,which is amazing. So-called disadvantage #2 I have never once been specifically ASKED to sponsor a teacher for training. There is a generic request sent out to parents that would like to voluntarily participate. There is no pressure, no guilt.. just the ability to educate teachers to assist in educating your child. Personally you should have attended these classes and benefited from the English/writing classes. The ADVANTAGE is that the teachers are more prepared and it helps keep the costs of running the daycare down so your tuition is reasonable and the teachers can get paid more. So-called disadvantage #3 This disadvantage infuriated me.. this is what is wrong with our society. LAZY parents who do not want to invest time in educating or even spending time with their child. And I quote: "I did not see any reason that I have to spend time to do art work from the daycare on weekend, just because my child is too young to do anything" No child is ever too young to do artwork and it saddens me that you feel you should not help them on the weekend. It's selfish and pathetic. The teachers are trying to create an environment for parents to do something fun with their children and show all their friends what they created. Imagine how proud your child would be to walk in and talk about the amazing artwork he got to make with his mom/dad this weekend.. instead you probably just sat him in front of the TV all weekend because you needed some time to yourself. So-called disadvantage #4 I believe the list that was sent out was help the parents that CHOOSE to give gifts out. There were no requirements, no judging.. only voluntary. So-called disadvantage #5 First of all, this school hasn't even been open for 10years. Secondly the retention rate of ANY school (including the one your child currently attends), will always be low because of salary and the stress from watching 12 children all day. Clearly you cannot handle watching one child on the weekend because you are complaining about spending time doing art work with him.. Now, that I have disputed all of your disadvantages, let me tell everyone else some of the advantages you forgot to mention... #1 - This school has an amazing security system set up in which the parents must enter the clean and welcoming lobby and enter a password specific to each family. Only then can you gain access to the children and their classroom. I have yet to enter the lobby without a front desk manager, who always has a warm smile for me and my child. (They always know her name too.) #2 - Art work of the children are displayed EVERYWHERE! My child loves running to her room and seeing her friends and her artwork. She is so proud of it and happy to show me what she did. #3 - This childcare is Gold Seal Accredited from the department of children and families. They have a NAC accreditation as well which is something every parent should look for in their childcare, regardless if they attend this one or not. http://dcfsanswrite.stat... Also, if you look at the reports on the provider page, you will see almost perfect Inspections from the department of children and families. If you go to their website and look at the 'honors section' you will see other awards they have received throughout the community. #4 - The children are REQUIRED to wash their hands when they enter the classroom. This was amazing for me to see because it enforces health and general cleanliness of the children and the room. #5 - Their disciplining involves redirection instead of punishment. I don't know about you, but I prefer this method when someone else is left with my child. #6 - My daughter has LOVED all of her teachers. #7 - Flexible days #8 - Big kid cafeteria! I've reached my word max but I love this school and so does my child, highly recommend this school and happy that the previously negative reviewer has left.

There are not many nurseries around four corners and north Davenport. I'm very happy that we are…read moreable to attend aquarelle. I haven't been inside the daycare rooms as adults are not allowed but my daughter adjusted well and I can see on the cameras that it's a safe environment. Be aware they don't serve lunch. But that's not too bad considering how unhealthy school lunches can be. So I try to pack a healthy lunch and my daughter always brings her lunch bag empty. She comes home clean and happy. I wish they would get more out door play in their schedule. Get on the waitlist if your child is smaller than 3 years old.

My niece loves her teacher and looks forward to going to school every day. The snacks they provide…read morefor her sound healthy and she enjoys them. She is learning here and making friends. Pleased with her progress.

My child has been attending Aunt Delores for the past two years, and we couldn't be happier with…read moreour experience. It is a wonderful place with an amazing and caring staff. My child absolutely loves going there! The staff truly treats the children like their own, and you can see how much they care about each child. We are very grateful to have found such a loving and welcoming place. Highly recommend Aunt Delores!

Oh my God this place is the best thing that has happened to our family since having our daughter…read more Nala is the love of my life and they treat her and every other child like they are the loves of theirs'. She has been going since she was about 18 months old, now almost 3, and has blossomed from going to this daycare. The teachers sent photos of her to my husband after we dropped her off the first day bc he was crying, so we knew she was doing fine. She has learned table manners, socialization, new words, and become so confident since coming here. I felt compelled to write this review since covid began bc they have gone above and beyond to protect the children, wearing masks, deep cleaning, tightening security, washing hands, and even holding spots for kids whose parents weren't working even if at their own expense. The selflessness and love Mrs. Carol, Mrs. Kristie, Mrs. Jamie, and all the other teachers have shown at this time are beyond magnificent!

My youngest daughter has been attending this school since she was two years old. This Wednesday,…read moreshe begins VPK. The school is Christian centered, so if that's not your thing, conduct yourself accordingly. The staff is mostly Latino, so your child will be receiving an English speaking education, with some Spanish influence. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this institution. They truly care about your child, and the staff is amazingly attentive to their education. I am truly pleased with the progress that my child has made in the years that she has been here. The staff is very responsive to questions and does their best to include everyone. The school is a very diverse collective of staff and students, and they encourage learning about different cultures and events. My biggest concern is my child being safe; no problem there. The staff is attentive and make sure that the children are given everything they need. I'm a little apprehensive that this is my daughter's last year here. I hope that her next institution is half as good as Meadows!