i have never had to put a child into a daycare setting before, so this was a first and a learning…read moreexperience. At no point did i ever feel uncomfortable leaving my son, in fact he never wanted to leave when i would pick him up. The moment he would see the playground he knew where he was and was super excited to be there. He started at 14 months old with little to no speech and has completely made major improvements, he had been cautious of change and now he welcomes it. The teachers and staff are amazing. The only down fall is availability. I started my son off with only 2 days a week and he loves it so much i wanted to add an extra day and have been on a wait list to do so for sometime now, with no estimated date for that extra time.

Our daughter has been at De Colores for a little over a year now, and the school has been a…read moreterrific fit for us. The teachers are a warm-hearted and talented bunch who genuinely love children; the teachers are all originally from Latin America and together create a wonderfully rich, multi-cultural environment for the children to learn in. The ages of the children range from about 2-6, and they are all together for the majority of the school-day so they have the experience of being with children of different ages. I love De Colores because I feel it's a school where kids can be kids--they get messy doing lots of great art projects and they get dirty running around in the school's wonderful yard out back. I feel very grateful to have found a school where I can drop my daughter off and feel complete confidence in the care she'll be receiving.

My two girls have been going to De Colores Children's Center for 1 1/2 years and we can't imagine…read morehaving them any place else. The teachers are amazing with the kids- warm and caring, allowing the kids to be themselves. I feel so comfortable dropping them off knowing they will learn and play in a wonderful, art-filled environment during times I can't be with them. The school has great indoor and outdoor play spaces although the kids spend as much time outside as the weather permits. The teachers are incredibly interesting people, with diverse and backgrounds that add to the fabric of the school. I feel so lucky to have found De Colores, for both myself and my children.

the teachers have worked very hard with my daughter to provide a pre-K environment where she feels…read moresafe, feels in control of things affecting her, and has fun.

From the owner: We are the only early childhood program in Exeter NH nationally accredited by NAEYC. We provide…read morehigh quality early childhood care while maintaining school hours of 6:30-5:30, with an open door policy, to accommodate families busy schedules. Our educational programs for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and kindergartners are based upon NAEYC's best practices and are aligned with NH Department of Education's Early Learning Standards. Our preschool students transition to kindergarten with the foundation they need for their academic success, some as early readers. Approximately 95% of our kindergartners leave our program as successful early readers. We track each child's overall developmental progress by building a portfolio for each child over a course the year, infants through kindergarten. The portfolios contain samples of the child's work, documentation of developmental accomplishments, photographs, and activity documentation explaining the objectives of an activity with the child's participation in it. These portfolios create a story of the child's experience in the classroom and validate the child's work within the classroom.

I toured this facility in December and everyone seemed nice and the one teacher I met in the infant…read moreroom seemed great. I was very excited that Heather had just started, coming from the Waldorf school and looking to add more nature and a garden to the center. It took a little bit for them to get back to me at first and things seemed a little disorganized but the director had just started the week before I toured, so I didn't think too much of it. We signed our son up for the infant room a few weeks later and then had about a month and a half before we were due to start. I called two weeks before our start date to try to meet the second infant room teacher that wasn't there either time I came in. At that point I was informed that there was a new head teacher. They almost wouldn't schedule me at all to come in to meet either of them before our start date. They suggested I could meet the teachers when I dropped him off on my first day back. When I said I would feel more comfortable coming in before that, they begrudgingly set up a time for us to come in. When I showed up they said they would have to reschedule, but since they scheduled me on the Friday before we were due to start, and they didn't want to reschedule me for that day, they said I could come in for 10 minutes (after lying and saying all of the babies were napping so I couldn't come in because the teachers both go on break during nap time?). I met the new teacher and while she was nice, she didn't seem very experienced or comfortable with infants. She mentioned that the other teacher was so great with infants because if she couldn't figure out why one was crying she would try to offer them to eat and if they didn't want to eat they must be hungry. I was shocked that the "head teacher" of the infant room would need to be told that. The overall vibe of the room and how they were caring for the infants made me uncomfortable and they said they were going to have to "kick us out" because a few kids were getting hungry (waiting until they were melting down before warming up a bottle) I understand you can't continue to talk, but shouldn't a parent be allowed to be in the room as much as they would like and see how the teachers interact with the kids? They didn't even say hi to my son when he woke up- it was all very unsettling. This, coupled with the fact that at enrollment I was assured they would allow use of cloth diapers, lead me to withdraw my son from their center. They then had the audacity to say that since I hadn't given a 2 week notice, they would want to charge me for another 2 weeks of tuition on top of the enrollment fee and first week tuition deposit. All this, despite the fact that they did not give us any notice that they would be changing staff and when I tried to come in to schedule to meet the new staff, they put me off until the last possible time. They also lied about it being a NH state law that cloth diapers are not allowed. I have since been told that several other teachers have left and the business manager made sure to tell me that with her 45 years of working in childcare, she knows that they have a great facility and that the new head teacher is well educated and great, which is more than she could say for the old head teacher. I asked if she was saying that she wouldn't have sent her own child there under the old head teacher. Her reply was, "well I would have been OK with it... but I can't say more." So that was great that they said how amazing that teacher was and how much she had done for the infant room program during my tour and then proceed to tell me that they wouldn't have been comfortable sending their own family there. They told many lies, and overall seemed very sneaky with tour times. I understand that you're not going to always have a picture of perfection in a room with 7 infants and only two adults, but the fact that they make you leave is concerning. It sounds like there is suddenly a lot of turnover and it is extremely concerning that they are not honest with what is going on. I would much prefer the knowledge that they are making changes and it is a busy time than to be lied to to cover up whatever. I would stay far away from this place!

I have two boys that are currently enrolled at Nurture and Nature full time. My oldest is in the…read morepreschool room and has been enrolled since he was 11 weeks old. My youngest is in the infant room and has also been enrolled since he was 11 weeks old. Being a full time working mom is difficult, but Nurture and Nature has made it much easier for my family and I to balance our life away from home. I wouldn't trust my kids in full time care anywhere else. When I was pregnant with my first, we toured many centers. The feeling I got touring N&N was much different than how I felt touring other centers in the area. These teachers truly care about the children. The teachers in the infant room are so nurturing and caring. My little man's face lights up when he sees Miss Jess each morning. My oldest boy is super sensitive and has a hard time being away from his Mommy. The toddler and preschool teachers work with my son to ensure a smooth transition to school on days when he misses me most. He loves to be outdoors and the children spend lots of time enjoying nature. Nature walks and water play in the playground are the highlights of his day. The culture at the center has helped establish a feeling of community. I have become friends with many of the other parents at the center, and I believe our kids will be continue to be friends throughout the years. Parent involvement is significant. Many parents dedicate lots of hours to the center, whether it be on the board of directors, fall/spring cleanup, monthly pantry contributions, or small odd jobs here and there. You can tell how much parents of the children at the center value the community here. There's been some leadership change over the past few years, but our current Director, Jennifer Blackwood, seems to be the perfect fit to continue to foster our great culture here at N&N.

The infant room was fine but the Preschool teacher was very condescending toward these little…read morebabes. Very little professionalism or knowledge of the Developmental phases of the 3 year old child. Left lasting scars.

My daughter goes here and loves it! The staff is extremely friendly and professional. The center…read morehas been completely renovated from it's previous owner and looks great. There is plenty of yard space for the children to play in. The children have structured and learning time mixed with fun free play. And the cost is reasonable too. I would definately recommend this center.

Great school and daycare. The teachers and staff are wonderful at the school and my son always…read morefelt cared for and had enough to keep him stimulated. They provide the option for children to explore math, reading, science, geography, history and whatever interests them but helps if the parent gives a direction for the teacher to encourage the child to pursue. Thank you everyone that helped make my child's experience a positive one!

My daughter started at Primrose 1-year ago and she has grown so much! Not only physically but…read moresocially and academically. The curriculum at Primrose is very foundational and provides the children with many opportunities to learn through different topics. The staff at PSOE are very kind and always greet you with a smile. My daughter has always loved any teachers she has had in her time here and I can't thank them enough. I would 100% recommend Primrose as they truly care about every child that walks through their doors.

From the owner: Primrose School of Exeter is an accredited daycare located in the Exeter area that offers infant,…read moretoddler, preschool and pre-kindergarten programs. For over 40 years Primrose preschools has been a trusted household name and a nationally recognized daycare provider committed to forging a path that leads to a brighter future for all children.

We interviewed and toured a lot of daycare centers before bringing our newborn to DCEC. This school…read moreis by far the BEST! I second every kind thing throughout these reviews. From being able to watch your child while you're at work to the hand written notes that they leave about your child's day, to the incident reports to see how something was handled; they're INCREDIBLE. I email the staff at least once a week with a question or a food substitute for our son and receive an immediate response. Everyone who works there treats you with kindness and respect and you really feel like your child is part of a little family and our son truly loves his teachers! I would recommend this daycare without hesitation to ANYONE!

The negative post made earlier this week is truly upsetting, as someone who has two children that…read moreare and have gone through this center - and have loved every second of it. From eight weeks old, to five years old, my daughter thrived at Discovery. The same teachers that she had, my son now has. The daycare is as clean as any daycare is going to be. I can tell you, it is more sanitary than my house, with two kids, at the end of a (week) end day with them. SO, how they keep it as clean as they do, with more than two kids in each room - is truly something. As for potty training - I actually give them credit for potty training my kids. My husband always say, "we got lucky!" but really, the teachers did it for us. Positive reinforcement, continual reminders, sticker charts - they did it all to make sure their potty days were successful ones. The staff is hands down the best, and so many have been there for so long. Most who are Moms, also have their kids there in other rooms. That speaks volumes to me. IN addition to that - there are several who have left for college, and come back for summers, or who leave hoping to make more money (because everyone knows how underpaid child education is) and then come back! Everyday, we get a print out and a hand written note about what our kids did that day, if they were happy/sad/sensitive, what they played with, etc. They spend so much time outside, that at tub time every night, we could make our own sandbox :-) In the bigger room, just before Kindergarten, they spend less time outside, but that is because they are preparing them for what lies ahead in Kindergarten! At my daughter's first parent/teacher meeting in Kindergarten - we were told that she is excelling, and far above where she is expected to be at this point, one month into the school year!! Could not be more proud, and owe that thanks to Discovery. Any concern, though there be few, are always thoughtfully addressed by the owner and the staff. The comments that the ratio of children to teachers is high depends on what your opinion is, really. The state has regulations - and they have as many kids as possible to teachers, in order to run a profitable business. Otherwise, why run the business? Discovery - you keep doing you. I'd send my kids there again in a heartbeat, and hope that the "one person who is saved" by the negative post from earlier (jeesh) reads *this* post - and realizes that from a MOTHER, (not a disgruntled employee) you'd be doing your kids, and yourself a favor - to send them to such a great school.