When my wife and I moved to Richmond from Raleigh in 2010 in some ways it was like starting over…read more We had both lived in North Carolina for 17 & 14 years respectively and the change while welcomed presented many challenges, especially with 2 young children. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to seek out recommendations for a good pediatrician. From that point we had the amazing fortune of being given the contact information for Joan at Open Arms Christian Preschool by our children's new doctor. The pediatrician we ended up seeing knew that with a diagnosis of autism and being on the spectrum our son would be in great hands and care at Open Arms Christian Preschool. The nervousness we felt while driving to meet with Joan for an initial tour of the preschool was immediately forgotten as we were greeted with the kindest most genuine energy and welcome. Within 5 minutes of touring Open Arms we knew we had found the right place. In our time spent at Open Arms we had both of our kids enrolled. Even when we moved to Glen Allen after the first year I fixed my work schedule to be able to drive 40 minutes back and forth for drop off and pick up. Our oldest child is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed with autism. He is high functioning but to this day has sensory issues as well as social issues. Joan went above and beyond to work with us day in and day out, gave us guidance, put us in touch with different professionals and organizations and always made herself available. She was always a phone call away and as with any situation involving children the communication factor was key. There was even a point where an additional staff member was brought in to help. For all of these reasons my wife and I will forever be grateful. I could really go on and on raving about this preschool as we had a 4 year run there. There is not one negative thing I can say about our experience at Open Arms. If there was I would be honest and post it. There were times when we had reports come home about our oldest and quite frankly a few times where we thought, 'that's it they are going to ask us to leave'... but that never happened. And I believe the communication between the school and us was a vital part of our unique situation. Communication is always key. The tuition is very reasonable for what each family receives. Activities, special trips and guest 'speakers' just to name a few of the things which go on. Art comes home regularly and the kids are also in a true learning environment which is such a plus as they get ready to make the transition to elementary school. If I could give this preschool 10 stars I would. If I could give Joan and her amazing staff 10 stars I would. I have given Joan permission to give out my phone number to anyone who has parent to parent questions. We will be forever grateful for the foundation which Open Arms Christian Preschool has given both of our kids. And we will especially be forever grateful for the added support we received to help us set our first born and only son on the path to being able to deal with his autism related issues. While Open Arms was just one piece of the support chain we received it was a vital part which helped us truly make the difficult and important decisions about our situation without added stress. Without the positive reinforcement and guidance this would have been a much more difficult road for us. Reach out to Joan with any questions about this program. She is always eager and happy to meet and welcome new faces and families. Cheers! And thank you for reading my first novel! (sorry I got carried away...) -Michael Soekawa (yes my full name)

The post previously made is inaccurate and incorrect. We toured several schools and chose Open…read moreArms last September because of the attentiveness, love and professionalism of the teachers and Director. In January of last year, our son began having seizures - the first in his young 2 year old life. We were terrified and concerned about the present and future health, well-being and development of our child. Not only did the team at Open Arms show their love and support for us, but the families surround us with friendship and prayer! Our son Eli had a rough 4 months; spending over 80% of the time in the hospital. During that time, we received weekly emails and texts from the Director, Eli's teachers and parents checking in and asking how they could help. When Eli was stable enough to return, the entire team at Open Arms worked with us to give Eli a chance to come back to school - even part-time. I met with the Director, Joan Brennan, and his teachers regularly to discuss his development, areas of challenge and prognosis. They worked diligently to ensure that Eli had a supportive environment where he, and the other children, could thrive. They took care of our son and our entire family during one of the most traumatic times in our life. Eli has now been seizure free for several months and returned back to school full-time this year. Before starting the year, Joan and the teachers worked with my husband and I to determine where Eli might best thrive (in the older 2 or younger 3 classroom). They have walked with us over the last several months as we have evaluated his growth and development. During parent teacher conferences this week, his teachers shared with us areas of challenge for Eli and some options to help him thrive. While it is always tough to hear that your child may not be thriving and may need additional evaluation, the way that they lovingly and supportively discussed the challenges with me made me quickly aware that they were on our team. They wanted what was best for Eli's development and wanted to provide the right opportunities for he and the other children in the school. As a parent who is diligently involved in the well being of her child, I feel like I have a team of support at Open Arms. It is a community! I learned about Open Arms from a friend that entrusted the development of her two children to the school. Having now experienced the great support and student-to-teacher ratios she encountered, I have openly recommended the school to other families. Including families that have been dealing with issues such as epilepsy. While the school is not a school for children needing one-on-one shadowing or those with aggression and anger issues, it is a school for families that need a little extra support or those that simply want the best environment and greatest opportunity for the growth of their children. I love Open Arms and am saddened by the libelous comment below.

I have had two children go through the program from six months of age on. The teachers are…read morephenomenal. All have masters degrees and years of experience, but also truly care for and love your children. Just the right mix of nurture and education. Lots of flexibility in scheduling also, with early morning and extended day options.

Since moving to the Richmond Metro area, finding excellent, reliable childcare has been challenging…read morefor our family. There are so many great staff members that make Celebree such a warm and supportive learning community for our children. Since starting in Ms. Markesha's room this January my son has thrived socially and developmentally. It's been so special to watch him grow and learn in her class. She also was able to support our potty training journey with our son at school. She parented with us and gave valuable feedback to us while we potty trained at home. Our son is so excited to come to school, and it's clear how much he loves being in her class. Ms. Markesha and Ms. Shae has created such a warm and joyful space to children learn and we are so grateful! Throughout the school day another really wonderful staff member is Ms.Tiffany! My son loves greeting her when he first arrives at school and when she is walking in the halls checking in and supporting classroom teachers. Even though she is not my son's class room teacher, it is evident that she truly cares for my babies and their well being. She shares sweet moments or interactions she will have with my babies any given time I drop them off and pick them up. It shows how much she cares and nurtures my children. Since my son transitioned to the Pre K 3 year old room this summer, Ms. Shanell and Ms. Dali have been wonderful! He has continued his potty training, developed fine motor skills, and is starting to apply academic learning through everyday life. He is learning his days of the week and can identify letters and early letter sounds! She also has made her self available to answer all of my questions or concerns I have in regard to his transition to her room. We are very happy with Ms. Shanell! Ms. Sabrina, the creative genius and art specialist for Celebree School of Henrico is phenomenal! It's clear how much my son loves creating new works of art in her class. She has created such a warm and special space for him to be creative and express himself. Fostering true inquiry based lessons and exploratory self expression is evident in the arts work displayed in the hallways and in the main lobby. Her work is developmentally appropriate for each child , and also provides room for each child to grow and expand their perspectives. She is so patient, encouraging, and caring with each child she encounters at Celebree. It's not easy work doing all the planning, prep, and execution of her lessons, but she makes it look effortless. And finally, Ms. Shilpa and Brianna have been so loving and nurturing towards my baby girl since she started at Celebree at 18 months. Shilpa has been very responsive, and shared many photos of my daughter throughout her day which gave me such peace of mind! My daughter has also really opened up and is loving her teachers in the Toddler B classroom! I have seen her engage in dramatic play, exploratory sensory tables, and developed gross motor skills through dance and creative expressive movement throughout her typical day. I know she is so happy because at home and over the weekend she asks frequently when she will go back to school. We are so happy with Ms. Shilpa in the Toddler B classroom! We cannot say enough praises for Celebree school and their support and care for our children.

We absolutely love Ms. Kesha from 2A! She has been so supportive of our son since Day 1, and he…read moreabsolutely adores her. She holds a very special place in our hearts because she was his very first teacher. Ms. Shae joined recently, and she has also been wonderful with the kids. We truly appreciate and love all the teachers and staff, but Ms. Kesha will always be extra special to us for being there for our son from the very beginning.

I cannot recommend this school. We pulled our son out after he attended for 11 months. Our number…read moreone concern was our son's safety. We brought safety issues to the attention of the staff and directors multiple times. There were several occasions where we picked our son up and he had bruises or cuts that the teachers couldn't explain. At a minimum, once we pointed them out they should have been documented. The teacher would say she didn't see what happened. When I explained my concerns to a director, she said "That's just how the children play with each other". So there appeared to be a lack of concern for preventing or remedying the issue. Our son began to state that he didn't want to go to school. We didn't want our son to develop a negative perception of school or learning that could impact him later on. Primrose is very expensive, and for the money, parents should at least be assured that their children are safe. The last time I spoke to one of the staff members about the issue I said I wanted to take time to brainstorm and come up with potential solutions. I proposed volunteering in the classroom, but the idea was rejected. The rationale given was "state guidelines". At least one other parent was already volunteering; no other school we interviewed indicated that there were state guidelines that would prevent parents from volunteering. The secondary concern was our son's kindergarten readiness. If he was indifferent about attending and worried about whether another child was going to hit or harass him, he would be unable to focus. Also, although I think the balanced learning approach works for some children, it wasn't what our son needed to get him ready for kindergarten. Two other schools we interviewed have children our son's age reading and spelling three to five letter words. That wasn't happening at Primrose. For the reasons above, I can't recommend Primrose.

My son went to Primrose from the age 2 till he turned 5, and oh! what an amazing childhood he had…read moreat Primrose. The facility is super safe, super education pro, and it nurtured my son's interpersonal skills, motor skills, social values to the highest and in best way possible. The quality of food is great. All of his teachers were well educated and trained to take care of the kids. We loved all of his teachers. He still remembers them fondly. He made the best of friends here. We moved out of Richmond, and Primrose is one of those places which we sorely missed. We are proud of this facility at Westerre Commons! You are forever cherished. Kudos to you!

Lack of transparency, follow-through, and support for neurodiverse children…read more After four years with Precious Time, I was shocked by how poorly things ended. My son, who has ADHD, was dismissed suddenly and without prior warning--a decision that violated their own three-step disciplinary policy. What we experienced: Incident reports that were vague, inconsistent, and never properly shared, despite numerous formal requests Missed doses of ADHD medication with no timely communication Ongoing bullying that was brought up multiple times and never addressed A rotating door of teachers, inconsistent structure, and poor classroom management Staff who told my child he would be "sent home" if he couldn't "get it together"--which is especially damaging to a child with behavioral challenges We tried for weeks to resolve this professionally, but the lack of transparency and follow-through from leadership was extremely disappointing. Precious Time may advertise inclusion, but our experience said otherwise. If your child needs support or structure beyond the basics, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere.

I have spoke to Mrs. Robin(billing)about a credit on my account. No one wants to take…read moreresponsibility as for the facts that I have previously shown in the emails that was sent to the owner. I have showed my concern multiple times. On Friday I talked to Mrs.Robins and she was being rude and a racists towards me. She was not understanding at all and the facts were over looked. No one has yet to show me how to make payments online. As I am over $600 behind. I was not billed in an advance as shown in the contract. No one took my payment to have it automatically taken out. No communicated with me about it until after a month my daughter started. I have child care subsidy and no one notified about how much I owed until after a month. I have shown my concerns to the owner and nothing is being done. So I'm just getting further behind and no one is doing nothing. Legally I have proof that the contract was breached and this can be taken to court. I am not being heard and no one wants to take accountability. I had a whole break down that caused me to step away from my job from the words that was coming from Mrs.Robin. As for the owner of Precious Time Child Development I am asking to be heard and for something to be done. Unfortunately I would have to take this to court if nothing will be done.

Hi my name Jada im trying to fine a daycare for my son he 3 years old how much it cost for him…read moremonday thur Friday

Faculty is amazing and makes you feel like family. The facility is very secure, clean and…read moreorganized. Just in the first month of my son going there I noticed a huge impact on my sons learning and potty habbits. Kidddie Academy isnt just your ordinary daycare facility this place is truly amazing and what every parent looks for in a daycare. Give this place a try and watch your childs knowledge sky rocket! - Brittany

I always had a positive experience working here and teaching classes! The owner is very kind and…read moreconsiderate to all her employees and students! Definitely recommend to all families with children and those looking for work!

My daughter enjoyed her time there. We were members for almost a year After about 4-5 months, my…read moredaughter started to feel a little bored and wouldn't be as excited about going. I think it's because they do the same general thing week-to-week and there isn't a sense of goals or progress over time. I am also not a fan of their membership model. It's basically $100 a month and it just goes on infinitely until you choose to stop. I would prefer it to be structured more around "seasons" with a culminating show so the kids could feel a sense of growth, progress and pride. All in all - We enjoyed our time but will be looking for other gymnastics options in the future with a different class model oriented more towards growth.