I highly recommend The Concord Carousel Preschool. Our son graduated this past spring after three…read moreyears of attending. Our second child will be starting this autumn. There are four classrooms, two teachers per classroom - it makes for a nice, friendly community. The teachers are wonderful and provide a warm and nurturing environment that builds confidence and encourages exploration, creativity, and learning. Our son thrived here. I was concerned that three years of preschool was going to grow stale but that was absolutely not the case. The little 2.9 yr old child who started two days a week was very different from the 5 1/2 yr old, going four days a week, that graduated but I feel each classroom experience met this growth and change very nicely. The school is in the same building as The Council on Aging and the school and the council make the most of this unique set-up with the preschoolers performing for the Council on Aging community at various times throughout the year, and the members of Council on Aging helping the children pick out Mother's Day gifts from their gift shop. The children work hard to prepare and are so proud after their performance. The location also enables the children to take a weekly walk and trip to the library and other walks around town. With one stay-at-home parent, we only needed a true preschool experience, not daycare, but the preschool offers Stay and Play on Mondays and Wednesdays that extends the day to 2:30pm. I found this very useful if I needed extra time in the day. We also took advantage of Stay and Swim where the kids are bused to Beede for a swim lesson on Wednesdays. The children are learning art, science, and math every day through their activities and play. The teacher shared all that the children were learning in her weekly newsletter. Stand-outs from this last year alone - Learning about Concord's amazing authors and then taking a hike in the same woods they hiked; learning about the world's most talented artists, making art in the style of these artists, then capping it off with a field trip to the MFA; reinforcing the value of giving back and helping others from a month long dedicated service unit where the children do things like collect old towels for animal shelters, candy for soldiers, and actually go shopping to put together a holiday meal for a family in need. Each year they put out a yearbook for the school. I love that he will always have these books to remind him of his time in preschool. The graduation ceremony was a beautiful (tearful for mom) send-off to kindergarten and, after speaking with my son on his first few days in kindergarten, it is clear that Carousel Preschool helped prepare him for an easy transition to kindergarten. As you can tell from this review, we are big fans of this preschool. :^)

One of our sons went and the other is still going to Concord Carousel Preschool, which is run by…read morethe Concord Recreational Department and is in the Harvey Wheeler building. They share the playground with the Concord Children's Center. They offer an optional stay and play program, swim lessons at the Beede Center, and a summer program. The kids go on many fields trips (local businesses, Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, local farms, etc.) and walk to the library across the street on a weekly basis. Unsurprisingly, they have a close relationship with the Concord public school system, which allows them to really ease the transition to kindergarten (they even organize field trips to kindergarten) and provide valuable information about your kid's needs and strengths to their new school. We also liked that all teachers are experienced and mature individuals. You will not be leaving your kid with a 19-year-old. It's a well run, creative, and welcoming program.

This was not the place for us. Perhaps for others, but I did feel as though I was pulling teeth for…read moreinforamtion about what my child was doing every day, and I was never on the same page (to the point of which I was questioning my own memory, sanity, and levels of expectation) when I shouldn't be. I did not feel my child was prioritized, and that our needs were addressed, much less met. Culminating point: our toddler had been at the center for 6 months, during the parent teacher conference, the teacher who was with her during her time there (part-time, 2-3 times a week) told me outright and sans-compassion: I don't know your kid. My feelings were hurt, and I worried about who the onus was on: my child, or the provider who was with her for those 192 (or so) hours? Had she tried? Did she care to do so? There are some elements of the child-care that were nice: low child ratio, environment that is concord, and the Director is in fact a sweetheart, the assistant in the toddler room as well, however with such things at play, how had one of the lead teachers failed to discover my child? If there were automatic capturing of what was happening during the day, (without my likely annoying prodding) I could tell you. That said, I'm sorry it simply wasn't the case. I'm still recovering from how much this experience hurt my feelings, and how I felt my daughters feelings were on some levels ignored as well. I was unnerved and nervous looking for a new provider thinking that perhaps this was how it was everywhere. Fortuantely I found out simply, that was not the case. Our daughter is thriving in an environment that recognizes her unique abillities and talents.

The Children's Meetinghouse is a great preschool/daycare. It's a small operation with very…read morepassionate teachers who have dedicated their lives to early childhood education. It has a very homey feel. With the exception of one teacher, they have all been there for 10+ years and all have degrees in Childhood Education. The location is convenient and picturesque and the hours very accommodating. They offer early drop-off at 7:30AM and late pick-up at 5:30PM. I can't recommend them enough. I have utter confidence in their program and their director. Our son just loves going there.

We are so thrilled with our experience at CCL. Our son started at age 2 and will remain through…read morepre-K. This is our third experience with pre-schools in the Boston suburbs and CCL stands out for its excellent sense of community, curriculum, location, teachers and tradition of caring. We are so lucky to have this wonderful school in our Lexington community.

Its all about the kids and the teachers at CCL. My daughter has been going there since she was old…read moreenough to attend and to get out of one of the corporate daycares. I feel so strongly about how great this school is that I am also on the board, as it is a non-profit. They treat the teachers with the respect that they deserve and don't send them home without pay when the numbers are down for the day. If the numbers are down, our kids get more interaction with more teachers. Did I mention how great the teachers are! My daughter has thrived at CCL and loves going to "school" everyday. You do have to walk up stairs as the space is rented from the church, but that has actually taught my daughter stair safety at a very early age. I cannot recommend CCL highly enough. The space is a bit dated, but they have tons of toys for the kids and they love it, so don't let the space fool you, this place is great.

If you are looking for a great program for both social, emotional and academic development, you…read moreshould look into LNS. They are a co-op, so don't be fooled, you have to contribute time, but what parent wouldn't want to be involved in their children's daily lives? LNS is located at the DeCordova Museum, which helps them incorporate nature and art into the curriculum. Because there is a parent teacher in the classroom every day, you can be confident that your children are in great hands. These teachers are so kind and you can trust that they treat your child as if he/she were their own. To help acclimate your child into the school and classroom they: 1) start with a home visit to every child's home to get to know them in a setting where they feel comfortable. 2) have "lemonade parties" where the kids can go have a snack and lemonade at school for an hour and hang out in the classroom/on campus and with the teachers with their parents around. 3) they start the year off with just half of the class for the first two days so it isn't overwhelming for the kids and they can have more individual time with the teachers. Throughout the year, they conduct parent teacher curriculum nights and events. They have their whole year scheduled and organized. The teachers have an online blog where you can read what they are doing and they post photos for you to be a part of the experience. This School is very advanced for a "day care". They follow some of the practices of some of the private schools in the area. I have been to quite a few day cares and I have 3 children, so I am really impressed by this nursery school. Amazing place! Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

LNS is a magical place for a child to start school. We're incredibly lucky to have found it. The…read moreteachers are so dedicated, respectful, patient, giving, amazing. The classrooms are full of light and fun - inspiring a love of art and nature, and giving children the tools they need to discover their world and develop meaningful friendships. It's a co-op, so a parent is in the classroom each day. There are nature walks, outdoor play, visits to the DeCordova Museum, baking, music, and so much more. I wish I could spend every morning there!

My son has been attending Kathy's Kids since he was 9weeks old he is now 1.5 he loves his "school"…read moreas we call it. He is happy when I drop him off and happy when I pick him up. I am so happy that I found Kathy. She truly cares for every single child she watches.

The Teddy Bear Club is an amazing place where we have had the pleasure of watching our children…read morebloom and grow. Their staff is incredibly warm, engaging, loving, and professional. They all truly have the child's best interest at heart and know just what each child needs to be successful. Their communication is invaluable and they really encourage a sense of community that is both warm and nurturing. Their facilities are impeccably clean, well-manicured, and welcoming. We adore the Teddy Bear Club and have been so blessed to have been able to send our children to this amazing facility.

If you are looking for a fantastic school that loves, nurtures and teaches your child - all while…read moredoing it in two languages - look no further. The teachers are fantastic, the facilities are amazing and the curriculum is so well thought out. This is such a special school that teaches kids in a fun and impactful way. It marries the best of the French education system with the American system. We have been unbelievably happy parents for 4 years now, and all of our children have gone to this school. My daughter actually asks to go to school even when she's sick as she doesn't want to miss a day...if that's not the biggest endorsement, I don't know what is! I only wish it didn't end after Kindergarten!