When looking into most of the daycare options in Metuchen, Friends of the Family (FotF), stood out…read morefrom the pack. After being there for almost 4 years (age 2-6) and hearing about other daycares in town, we can say it was the best option for us and our daughter. A few highlights based on our experience: - Best hours with flexible schedule offerings (12 hours day, half days, partial weeks) - Fair pricing with no nickel and dining for extra hours, monthly fees, etc. Being independent allows them to avoid additional overhead of the franchise daycare options. - Incredible staff with little turnover, which is a big issue at many places - Caring owners with great attitudes and always reinvesting in the facility - Outstanding full-day kindergarten program (with included before and after care hours), led by Miss Kerri. Kids leave this program well prepared for 1st grade. - Perfect location downtown with plenty of parking and allows us to be close to everything (restaurants, dance, taekwondo, train station, etc.) We highly recommend you pay them a visit and seriously consider them for your child

I was told the waitlist was "very extensive" to the point they are unaware of when they can bring…read morein new clients, yet they are accepting deposits to become a client. I would not recommend a place that cannot keep track of the children and their attendance.

This was the 8th childcare facility that I visited in a list of stellar locations including (…read moreKinder Kare, rainbow Academy etc etc) and from the minute I walked in I knew this was the place for us and after almost a year here that has only been affirmed many many many times over. Leaving your child in the care of others while you work is just plain hard but feeling that your child is in the hands of people that actually really love the kids is a breath of fresh air !! I know that my child is not only getting exceptional care but it also getting a great education at the same time. The whole staff from the owners ( Ms. Ivette and Mr. Manny who are always there !) to the director Ms. Monika are the most incredible caring people. The staff is always available for conferences or questions and are always so polite and incredibly attentive to detail. It is very competitively priced with the same range as the other centers, sure there was one or two other places that were a little cheaper but I'd gladly pay for the care, support and sense of security that I get for my child at TLE !

We love tle ! The teachers are so warm and communicate and covey what we have asked when needed…read more I've had three kids go through the school all the way through kindergarten and 1st grade when it was available. They are all performing above grade level in public school thanks to the great attention to curriculum and challenging learning environment. We have a couple of years before we say goodbye forever and I couldn't be sadder to leave any place.

This place is more than a place for my kid to spend a day while we are at work. Maria's teaching…read moremethod and her ideas are just amazing. She will have lessons on human anatomy and 3yr olds can sit though and actually learn. It is so great to know my son is not only safely having fun but is becoming a well rounded kid. Lessons, story times, playtimes, yoga, meditation are just some of th things she does with the kids and kids enjoy so much. I can't imagine a better place for my kid.

Mindful nest has been a great experience for our family, Maria has looked after our daughter for…read moremore then 2 years. We wish we can let her stay there longer but elementary school is calling. There are so many great things too say about how she has raised our daughter. She puts so much effort into raising all her children, from caring for them like her own to her daily routines and her great home cooking. our daughter would come home each day and we would notice all the different knowledge she has gained from her days at mindful nest and she would always come home well fed. Marias one of the nicest people I ever met and distills that same attitude and morality into her children. She is like a second mom to our daughter. Theres no way to ease that feeling of dropping your baby off to someone for the first time. But rest assured your child will be in good hands at mindful nest. Hands down one of the best daycares around the neighborhood.

Please note that this is not a review for The Learning Gate in Somerset County. This is for The…read moreLearning Gate in Flemington which is now Precious Gems Academy. Try and keep up. It's confusing. I went back to work recently. Thoroughly researched preschools in my area. Had a tour of what is NOW Precious Gems Academy. This abrupt change in name and management was the straw that broke the camel's back. I will refrain from reviewing the teaching staff because I believe they are doing the best they can under the management of two, incompetent and rude directors. On a side note, their brochures, bulletins, Facebook page and website are rife with misspellings and grammatical errors. They should be embarrassed. I was given the bait and switch.

I'm so happy with the care my daughter receives at The Learning Gate. As a preschool teacher…read moremyself, I have high expectations for the school she attends. The center exceeds my expectations. Her teachers are wonderful, as are the directors. The center itself is clean, organized, cheery, and safe. The staff plans activities for parents to be involved. I highly recommend The Learning Gate in Flemington.

My daughter goes here and I could not asked for a better daycare. Open communication and a very…read moreunderstanding staff. My kid loves it here.

I recently enrolled my 2 1/2 year old son in this daycare. I must say my husband and I interviewed…read moreseveral other daycare locations. This place was recommended to me by a neighbor and boy am I glad she did. My son loves it here. I instantly got the feeling of "this is the right place" when I walked in. The daycare is nice and clean and brightly colored and very organized. The owner and the staff are super friendly and very warm. My son will be attending until he is of age to start school.

We are so happy to share our experience at Cherry Hill Nursery School! Two of our children have…read morebeen attending this school since 2019, and our youngest will start this year- we can not say enough good things. The teachers and staff at CHNS are simply amazing. They're highly professional, attentive, and loving. We've seen our kids thrive in their care, develop excellent communication and socialization skills, and learn so many new things. Our children love going to CHNS every day. They've made so many new friends, learned a lot of new things, and had a lot of fun. As parents, it's wonderful to see our kids excited to go to school and happy when they come back home. If you have young children and are looking for a fantastic nursery school, we can't recommend Cherry Hill Nursery School enough. The staff is amazing, the play based environment is wonderful and the opportunities to see your child in the classroom is one of a kind!t. We know our children are in good hands, and we wouldn't trust anyone else with their early education!

How bittersweet it is to be graduating on from this special, special school. We are so fortunate to…read morehave found CHNS, as it was the first school experience for our soon to be 5 year old. As someone who was only 18 months old when Covid locked everyone down for a year, we started our daughter in 2021 in the 3's class. CHNS handled all Covid safety protocols gracefully, and school became our 3 year old daughters favorite place, even masked and socially distant. Moving onto this year in the 4's class with a more normal, mask free experience, she flourished even more. The staff is so warm, loving, and nurturing and most have been teaching at CHNS for decades. These teachers are the reason CHNS is such a special place! They truly know how to teach children to foster independence, problem solving, and relationship building at such a young age. Our daughter has made lasting friendships that we know will continue for years to come! One of the best parts of CHNS is the co-op model, which allows the families to not only experience a day in the classroom with their child, but to also get to know their classmates and the other families. This was a great social outlet to meet other local families and especially great if you are new to the area or looking to make other friends with parents of kids the same age as your own. We look forward to being able to return to CHNS in a few years when our youngest is old enough! Highly recommend!!

Lightbridge Academy@East Brunswick I write this review as a…read moreconcerned parent and want to share my experience with Lightbridge Academy in East Brunswick. I enrolled my 2.5 year old child here and we had to pull out in a month's time due to negligence in many aspects. I am ok with that too but Regina, who runs the center, absolutely gives no value to your feedback ignoring everything you say. We are vegetarians and we explictly told not to share his food. To our surprise, they still let kids share food. I understand that it can happen with kids being kids. When we spoke to Regina, she absolutely ignored us. No parent will appreciate kids sharing food in daycare during COVID. There were multiple instances where kids did not wash hands after playing outside. Last Wednesday, my son came home compaining stomach ache which was followed by fever the very same night. We called doctor and they asked us to watch out till Friday but it did not improve. We went to Doc's office Saturday and got result Tuesday and turned out COVID positive. Nobody ever called us to check why my child was not coming to Daycare. Still, we called and informed daycare that my child was tested COVID positive. Next day, we checked with our friend whose child goes to same daycare but they did not inform them either to keep watch. If you are looking for daycare around East Brunswick, I suggest look for alternatives.

Lightbridge Academy in Milltown is amazing! As a first time mom to a baby born at the start of the…read morepandemic, I was so nervous about sending my baby to daycare. But I had such peace of mind leaving my one year old with the incredible staff at Lightbridge. The front office staff, teachers, and assistants were all the most lovely people and took such wonderful care of my baby. I loved that they had a well thought out curriculum and an excellent app where I could see updates about naps, feedings, diaper changes, photos, and videos. I also loved that they had a lunch option. It made my life so much easier to not worry about packing a lunch every day! They also had cute activities on some weekends, like "mommy and me" pictures. The center is very clean, and they take health and safety seriously. I'm so sad that we had to move and couldn't continue sending our daughter and any future children to this center.

I was only a few months away from returning to work after maternity leave and needless to say, I…read moredid an extensive search to find child care. I just could not find anyone who seemed to be a good fit. I just happened to pass by The Chosen Generation DayCare on my way shopping. Well, I decided to stop by and boy was it the BEST decision I have ever made. As soon as I opened the door, Teacher Melissa Stroman greeted me with a smile and encouraged me to come in. I was taken back by how warm, friendly and cozy the set up was. The children were all so happy and I just knew this is where I needed to place my child. Melissa asked me so many questions about my family, routines, expectations on both sides that I ended up staying there for two hours. I enrolled her that following Monday. My baby at the time was 10 months old and now shes 14 months and I'm back at work fulltime. It was the best decision I could have made and it also made returning to work that much easier. To this day, my little one runs away from me when I pick her up because she wants to stay longer. I encourage you to visit, you will not be disappointed.

I Love this Daycare. I had my 5yr old in there. Melissa is so Sweet & Caring. Had a Great…read moreExperience with her.