I was a Director of Preschool of America from September 2018 to August 2019. At the time I was a…read morePre-K 4 teacher in North Bergen NJ. A Beautiful preschool walking distance to the Hudson River. With a masters degree In Elementary education and 15years of teaching Early Childhood Education - 2, 3 and 4 year olds, I looked forward to this new opportunity. Poorly maintained by owner of building and super. Poor relationship between owner of building and Joanna owner of this preschool - which by the way is now named metrokids. Don't let the new name and branding fool you!!! In 2019, , Unsafe front door entrance, elevator consistently not working, check legalities/ infants on second floor . Challenging to get children safely out of Building God forbid there was an emergency. Also No cleaning staff to come In at night or on weekends for deep cleaning. Perhaps now with children returning to daycare the owner properly addressed issues and children have a state of the art preschool to return to in a 21st century Chelsea location. I doubt it though. Parents were paying 2000 a month. So I'll recap unsafe and unsanitary. The Director and teachers are the parents sounding board but ultimately owners responsibility. Also teachers - the true reason daycares and preschools survive- three wonderful teachers and a wonderful assistant teacher during my tenure there. When I say wonderful I mean educated kind intelligent and well maintained class rooms. One thank goodness has been called back after schools started opening again. It was challenging to be able to give good teachers and assistants raises because often raises were based on making sure a teacher had the "right" degree or coursework to merit the cheap pay raises. Across the board cheap raise once a year. My review is not based on"sour grapes". It's for "pulling back the curtain" for unsuspecting parents.

Wow, we had such a great experience at Preschool of America! They helped us out of a very serious…read moresituation, where our son's daycare closed suddenly. They took us in and were so considerate of our situation while we figured out our long-term solution. On the administrative side, Stephanie is a wonderful and responsible director. On the academic side, the teachers and students welcomed our son with warmth and made him feel at home, helping him to make a quick adjustment to the new environment. There were so many things that we loved about POA that our previous daycare didn't do. They send daily photos of what the kids are up to through a secure mobile app, so you feel more connected. They provide daily report cards for every student, listing out activities, learning progress and behavior. They use a lot of music and physical interactivity to enhance the learning process. Their catered lunches were also high quality and diverse. When we were researching daycare options, I recall reading a few bad comments which caused me some concern, so I really wanted to address the inaccurate comments in my review of POA. First of all, the environment is very clean and brightly lit, with children's artwork all over the place. Each room has windows allowing natural sunlight to come in. Most of the classrooms and gym are on the outer edge of the building with direct sun. Two of the classrooms for the very young children/babies were on the interior, but with windows facing the outside windows and direct views outside. The children at that age are still crawling or too small to see out the windows anyway. This seems to be a common practice, and was how our previous daycare was designed as well. When our previous daycare shut down, we learned a lot about the economics of what it takes to run a daycare versus what you pay. We tried getting together with 3 or 4 other families to share the cost of a private teacher, and traded off using our apartments to house them. However, it became clear very quickly that it would not only be much more expensive than daycare, but the learning environment wasn't nearly as good. The typical daycare costs of around two thousand dollars per month originally seemed like a lot to us as new parents, but if you do the math of how long they are watching your child, it breaks down to around $7.50 per hour. That's less than minimum wage, and when you factor in the lunches, diapers, activity supplies, etc that are included, there is no way you could ever match that. After a month, our previous daycare re-opened and is was an EXTREMELY difficult decision to make about which one to choose long-term. Ultimately, our son missed his friends too much, and the location at our previous place was a half mile closer, so we ended up going back. However, we also would have been quite happy to stay at POE as his permanent daycare. So to sum it up, we highly recommend Preschool of America!

TLDR: Smile is absolutely amazing, and if you have the chance to enroll your child - do it…read more Our son attended Smile Nursey from the time he was 5 months old in Jan. 2022 up until last month when we moved out of JC. Ms. Debbi, Ms. Michelle, Ms. Christina, and Ms. Leanna (and the rest of the staff/teachers) are wonderful. Our son loved going to school every day, and he always - without fail- had a huge smile on his face when we picked him up at the end of the day. It was so clear that he was loved, nurtured, and encouraged when he was there. Ms. Debbi and her team were very responsive, and used the Brightwheel app to community with us and document his day (naps, meals, activities, pictures). They also got to know our son very quickly - his likes, dislikes; his temperament and nature; what food he likes the best; and how to get the best nap out of him (to name a few). There was never any hesitation or concern about the care he received. His teachers loved him as if he was their own. Aside from the amazingness of the school, Ms. Sheri (the owner) is a pillar of the community and is involved in so many events, as well as Whole Spectrum Austim. Legit - the caring nature trickles down from the top. In sum, Smile is a hidden gem in JC and we were so fortunate that our son was in their care!

BEWARE!!! My child repeatedly reported abuse by one specific teacher at this school. Upon the first…read moreinstance, management promised to investigate and take corrective measures. After subsequent reports from our child, clearly identifying the same teacher, we immediately removed her from the school. Parents please beware!

We are lucky to have found Little Tykes. The daycare staff takes care of my 3-month old daughter so…read morewell, especially Ms. Fran and Ms. Jasmine! They are great about keeping us posted on her activities. My daughter always smiles when she sees Ms. Fran.

I would not recommend this daycare based on my family's experience. From the moment I toured the…read morefacility, I had concerns. During the tour, I witnessed a teacher raising their voice at a 2-year-old, which immediately left me questioning the environment and the level of training provided to the staff. I know some teachers can give tough love I gave it the benefit of doubt. My biggest concern came after my 3-year-old attended. I was informed by a staff member that he had made a sexual gesture or comment. As his parent, I know the behavior they were referring to was simply him picking his nose and putting his finger in his mouth--a gross but very typical behavior for a 3-year-old the other teacher even came out as I was extremely concerned to say it was innocent. The teacher accusing my son attacked me none the less at pick up not even a hello. The situation was handled in an extremely unprofessional manner, and I was shocked that such a serious accusation was made instead of approaching it with appropriate understanding of normal toddler development.What was equally disappointing was the lack of communication afterward. After this incident was reported to management, neither the director nor anyone from administration reached out to check on my child, discuss the situation, or address my concerns. That level of follow-up and accountability was completely absent. In my opinion, the facility also appeared unclean, and the overall professionalism of the staff did not inspire confidence. After this experience, I chose not to send my son back and enrolled him elsewhere. The difference in professionalism, communication, and care has been night and day. I also encourage parents to review the daycare's inspection history and any licensing violations through the New Jersey child care licensing records before making a decision. It's important to do your research and make an informed choice about where you entrust your child. Every child deserves to be cared for by patient, well-trained professionals in a safe, clean, and nurturing environment. Unfortunately, that was not our experience here.

Our experience with this preschool, was absolutely amazing and exceeded all our expectations! We…read moresaw ,firsthand, the positive impact it had on my nephew. From the first weeks, the teachers made a genuine effort to support his adjustment, keeping us , thoroughly informed and ensuring he felt secure and always included. That level of communication and Genuine care made a big difference for our family. Their classroom environment is very structured, organized, and welcoming. It is a setup, where the students, are not overly stimulated and they keep it simple, but, yet, very relaxed and productive! Smart Starts Academy has a curriculum , in which, encourages learning through, play while building important social and academic skills. Over time, we noticed improvements in his confidence, language skills, and enthusiasm for learning, which speaks volumes about the quality of instruction and Attentiveness to each student in their classroom! Emotions that each child may carry ,throughout their day, was Never ignored , but rather, very respected and handled with Extreme care and Genuine Understanding! The staff is beyond,professional, attentive, and Deeply committed to each child's development and learning journey! This preschool sets a HIGH standard for early education, and we would confidently recommend it to any family seeking a program that combines strong academics with Genuine care. Furthermore, the fact that, the students are to wear a uniform, distinctively separates, from other schools,especially because, the students are grasping the idea that, "we are going to school" and it clearly shows the difference between all other schools in the area. I absolutely RECOMMEND Smart Starts Academy and it will Not disappoint! The Smart Start Academy is a Great School for each child's first major steps in Learning and socially engaging in Healthy and Sustainable Growth and Development!

Our 3year old has attended Smart Start Academy (SSA Lumbar House) in Jersey City for almost a year…read more We are so happy with the facility, staff and overall program. 1) Love the mandatory uniform. She associates her uniform with "going to school", which is a great visual prompt to get us ready & out the door each day. 2) The administration and staff are so helpful & have been extra accommodating to her special needs. There is a great curriculum including an introduction to Spanish language skills & preschool preparation (tracing letters, using glue sticks & scissors, etc) . It's truly like a school rather than just a daycare facility. She loves her teachers Mrs Ruth & Miss Justine :) 3) The tech used by the facility is great. The app lets us check her in & out for the day with ease. We get information and photo updates throughout the day. 3) Food is healthy and our picky eater never goes hungry.

My two daughters who went to Busy Bee from 3 months to 4 years STILL til this day talk about this…read moreDayCare. They are now 13 and 18. They absolutely loved coming here. They learned all necessary skills to enter kindergarten with ease, they enjoyed Mr. Roe's visits and still talk about Miss Michelle Miss Gayle and Miss Susan. My husband and I couldn't have chosen a better DayCare than Busy Bee!

My kids went to this warm, wonderful school for over 5 years. The women and young ladies all…read moretreated the children like they were their own, supplying lots of love, attention, behavior skills, and appropriate discipline when needed. This is not just a daycare. Their pre-K program is excellent. If anything, they did TOO good of a job in educating because my oldest child is now in kindergarten and is bored by the lack of challenges in public school. I got a new job which unfortunately moved me 12 miles away from Busy Bee. We love the school so much that I sucked it up for a full year and made two 24 mile round trips per day so my daughter could graduate there. We tried one of the large well known chains and there's no comparison. Busy Bee's small, family owned school made me feel like I was dropping my kids off with family.

We absolutely love this daycare. From the moment you walk in, it feels warm, welcoming, and truly…read morehome‑like -- nothing sterile, cold, or corporate about it. Every teacher knows every child by name, regardless of age or class, which creates a deeply comforting, close‑knit environment. We toured about seven different daycares when our daughter was a newborn, and this one immediately stood out as the most genuine, cozy, and nurturing. We started when she was five months old and instantly felt welcomed and confident that she was receiving exceptional care - esp Ms Sue, Babusya, Ms Lucy, Ms. Lori, etc!!! The teachers are incredibly attentive and truly invested in the kids. Their communication with parents is excellent -- we always feel informed, supported, and part of our daughter's day-to-day experience. The Procare app is used and extremely accurate with pictures as well! On top of all of that, the price is by far the most reasonable we found, especially considering the level of care and personal attention the children receive. Our daughter is thriving here, and we couldn't be more grateful for the wonderful community they've built. Highly recommend!

I'm so glad I found LTA! The teachers and Lori are the sweetest. I don't have to worry about my…read moredaughter while I work, which has been a huge relief. They treat her as if she was their own and I am so grateful for them.

My child just started here a month ago and our experience has been nothing short of amazing. The…read moresecurity and safety here are excellent and the staff go above and beyond to make students and parents feel comfortable and secure. My child is well taken care of and even though we just started the staff all know my family by name. Highly recommend for all children because the curriculum is excellent. It is not just a 'daycare' but they strive to prepare our children for Kindergarten and help with socializing, sensory stimulation, nap schedules etc. I also love the additional activities and philanthropic fundraisers they support. Everyone I know also speaks so highly of this location from the clean facilities to the staff. I miss my child during the day but the TLE app keeps me updated and sends pictures.

TLE is a great fit for some, but the 20 kids toddler (16 month old) classroom size & 4 teachers,…read morewas too overwhelming for our daughter, who stopped eating and drinking altogether. So we had to un-enroll her. Also had an experience where there were only 2 kids in the class around 7:45am, and 2 teachers. One teacher was holding a crying toddler, yet the other teacher neglected to comfort our daughter who was screaming at her feet, while she continued to talk to the other teacher. She only interacted with her when she saw me looking at her from the side window. This was day 3 of my daughter being enrolled there. Which completely broke my heart seeing this as a first time day-care mom. I spoke to the director and requested a specific teacher be assigned to my daughter because I noticed she was the most nurturing from what I'd seen, but was told they could not honor my request and assign a specific teacher cause they don't take requests. A few kids had yellow snot running down their noses which also resulted in my daughter having a terrible flu for 2 weeks. Stopping in a couple times during the day we also noticed that her bottle and food was placed on the table and left, and if they dropped or she didn't eat, there'd be little attempt to ensure she has something in her tummy. So she was always extremely hungry and cranky when we picked her up and drank 2 bottles on the drive home from roseland to Montclair. Our experience was not the greatest, but yours may be different. Eventually, her stopping eating and drinking after a week of being there forced us to remove her & we appreciate miss Tessa understanding and issuing us a partial refund.

Smarter Toddler is so cool! My niece loves it. At first she was very shy but the teachers and…read moredirector made her feel very comfortable. So now she is really confident and outgoing!

Smarter Toddler is the best. The staff is amazing and very caring. I always feel very comfortable…read moreleaving my LO at Smarter Toddler. The place is very clean and I love how well they look after each and every child. Activities such as baby yoga, music and art is such an amazing bonus. I look forward to receiving photos from LO's weekly activities every week. Sadly, we are relocating to Atlanta and will have to find a new day care. The Smarter Toddler experience definitely set a high standard.