The teachers and staff are truly wonderful, caring, patient, and dedicated. They created such a…read morewarm and nurturing environment, and we always feel our child was in great hands. Thank you for everything you do, we are so grateful!

Earlier this year, I was given 1 week's notice that my son's franchised school would close. 1…read moreweek! I knew that the new school my son would attend had to be great, meet the needs of my son and our family, have a sense of community, be well - established with strong leadership, and a kind and supportive staff.....and they had to have availability immediately. KinderCare, Old Tappan, NJ to the rescue! I called KinderCare, Old Tappan, NJ, and spoke with the Director, Ms. Jessica Epstein. She understand the urgency of the situation, and scheduled a same - day, evening tour (7 PM) so my husband could attend too. My son's future Teacher, Ms. Amanda also stayed late for the tour. The tour was detailed, organized, and thorough. Every question I had, had a thoughtful (and transparent) answer. My son gravitated to Ms. Amanda like they were long - lost friends; followed her directions; cleaned up the toys he began playing with; and upon leaving, gave the Director, Ms. Epstein a long, warm hug. He didn't want to let go! KinderCare, Old Tappan, NJ was friendly, supportive, and warm. I emailed the enrollment forms that evening. YIPPEE my son had a school, and it was great! .....but, never one to shy away from doing my due diligence, I kept the 7 other school tours I had already scheduled. The other schools were good, had their strong points, but no other school was great. I undoubtedly chose the best school for my son. Here's why: PROS: -Open for 20 years -Open Monday - Friday, 6:30 AM - 6:30 PM -Accepts major credit cards (no Amex, or JBL) -40 Teachers, and Staffers who are enthusiastic, kind and loving -Meals and snacks included -CLEAN and BRIGHT -Large classrooms (aquatic life, dramatic play, sensory support, bathroom, sink, educational toys, and educational materials) -Outdoor playground, with many ride-ons -Indoor playground, with an open library -Daily Written Reports (paper copy with no photos) -Formal Parent Teacher Conferences, with a written assessment / report -Lots of school events for the student, and whole family -Easy and prompt communication by email, telephone, and in person -Good policy and staff for families that are married, separated, blended, culturally diverse, require supportive services, etc. CONS: -No Tadpoles -With Tadpoles, schools can email the Daily Written Report, along with DAILY PHOTOS parents can download for free -Photos emailed very infrequently -No computerized front door, or computerized attendance log -No Live Cam -Tuition billed weekly (vs. monthly), which costs more

Ann and Andy has been the best place for my two kids. They are excited to go each day and have…read morethrived in this safe and nurturing environment since they were infants. I am so grateful to this place and the wonderful staff for loving and caring for my kids!

Just called and someone very impatient couldn't help me locate the email address to submit the camp…read moreapplication once done. I was interested in enrolling my child but now never. This camp was recommended to me by a group of parents that have enrolled their children and I will make sure to tell them about the awful experience. I just had. Whomever answered the phone at 12:27pm should be fired. I would never ever want my child to attend a camp for children and be exposed to this staff member that lacks professionalism and respect for customers that call asking simple questions about how to find the camp email address on the company website. I will do her the pleasure of posting my review on YELP! She had a disgusting attitude!

Our little one was 20 months when we needed full-time care, and through recommendations from…read morecoworkers and friends, we found Montessori in New Rochelle. We couldn't be happier with our decision. The owner has built a safe, nurturing environment where teachers truly care about each child's well-being, development, routines, and outdoor play. I observed a class today and was impressed with the teacher-to-student ratio. We loved the Halloween performance and parent potluck that foster a sense of community. Highly recommend this unique place!

Our family has had such a tremendously good experience since enrolling our child at Liberty…read moreMontessori. The staff is knowledgeable, loving, and caring, and our kiddo comes home happy and having learned something new every day.

We had a wonderful experience at the Prospect Academy of Westchester! Both of my children attended…read moreand loved it! They took care of our children as their own. Very nurturing and warm environment. They truly get to know their students and help them excel in multiple languages. Highly recommend!

Prospect Academy is a corner stone of the Russian community in Westchester. My children attended…read morethe pre-school for its entirety, and after they graduated, I decided to keep them there an extra year to give them another 12 months of Russian. Even after that, we continued with Prospect for after-school programs, that my children benefited from tremendously. This school is always coming up with new initiatives - cooking classes, dance classes, outdoor gardens, German or Spanish language programs - it's always fun, new and interesting! We can't say enough about the loving and caring teachers that my children were lucky to be nurtured by. Everyone at Prospect treats us like family. My children have long since graduated, but I keep coming there for the Moms Dance classes every week! The program at the school is full of hands-on education and learning made fun. Going outside in any weather is a must - great way to make our kids resilient and unafraid. The kids have Heritage projects to make, family days, Pancake week, everything you'd like for your kids to learn about your culture. We love Prospect Academy with all our hearts!

There have now been three "self reported serious incidents" in 2019. Two in January and one in…read moreFebruary (see follow up story in the NY Post) and there are still uncorrected violations going all the way back to December when my son was injured (see my previous reviews) and 89 violations total since they opened. NYS lists them as "pending revocation" since December 2018. They are up for renewal in October 2019. I know from our own experience that it can be hard to find quality care, but please do your diligence before enrolling here or continuing to entrust this facility with the welfare of your children. Their compliance failures are overwhelming.

Parents be warned: do your homework on this facility's incident and violation history before…read moreconsidering enrolling your children here. My son was badly injured at this facility and they did not seek urgent medical care. We've taken our story to the press to make sure parents in the local community were made aware. A simple Google search of this facility will show you the full story, covered by WCBS, NY Post, USA Today, Journal News/LoHud, News12, HLN, and several more. My sons accident uncovered a sad reality - this facility had been operating all year with over 30 violations against it. We had no idea. I've since become very familiar with how to view daycare violations on OCFS.com. As of January 4th, 7th and 8th of 2019, the state of New York logged even more violations against TLE Dobbs Ferry. They now total to 83 violations. In my quest to find new daycare for my son, it appears most daycare centers in our area don't have more than 5 violations over the span of several years, some which have been in operation for 20+ years. Compare that to 83 violations at this facility from November 2017-January 2019. They should be ashamed of themselves. I wish we had known about these violations sooner. We would have removed my son from the program immediately. Since we've spoken to the press, at least a dozen parents and former staff members have contacted my husband and I directly about their own negative experiences at this facility, ranging from injuries to their children requiring stitches and leaving scars; to a 4 year old child being called an "idiot" to her face by one of the head teachers; to another teacher telling the pre-K class about her brother in jail on a daily basis; to teachers being encouraged by management to manipulate the children's daily performance sheets to make it appear they are learning skills at a faster rate than they truly are. Ask yourself, would you want you child being watched by this facility? If you look up the violation history of this center at OCFS.com, you'll see they even failed to perform background checks on a number of the staff. I won't besmirch everyone at TLE Dobbs Ferry. My son had a few really great teachers who cared for him dearly in the 12 months he attended this facility. Unfortunately for my son, none of them were present when he was injured. Had even one of them been, I'd like to think his injury would have been handled better. Many of these teachers have since left TLE and gone on to better facilities. I can't encourage parents enough to do their homework. Please use the resources available by the state of New York and look up the violation history of any daycare facility you are considering for your child. You can also contact the Westchester Childcare Council for assistance. They will even perform a daycare search for you based on where you live, and will give you all the information you need on individual facilities.

Lightbridge Academy of Elmsford is fantastic. My daughter has been enrolled there for 3 years. We…read moreare impressed with their curriculum. I love that it focuses on the "whole child." The activities that they plan are age appropriate and fun. The events that they have for the families are so much fun. WE LOVE going to all the events. Their summer carnivals, fall festivals and holiday events are geared for all family members. We cannot wait for the next event.

Absolutely AMAZING program! We enrolled our 2 children at Lightbridge Elmsford when they first…read moreopened in October of 2019 and have zero complaints. Our son spent a year in the Pre-K class before entering Kindergarten and our toddler daughter is still there. It has done wonders for both of their socialization and learning skills and helped our daughter make up so much lost time from what she missed during the first 6 months of being home bound in COVID. The directors and teachers are excellent with the kids, the cameras and app make keeping track of their progress and milestones a breeze. We already miss all of the shared information and access having our son in Kindergarten. HIGHLY recommended.

First off let me just say I would not refer this place to my worst enemy…read more Let's talk about communication or LACK thereof It is almost impossible to get in contact with the staff there. It takes numerous calls and emails to yield one response. They expect you to respond rapidly (which most parents will do naturally out of concern for their child) yet they fail to move with the same urgency when a parent reaches out to them. I understand the staff may have their hands full but shouldn't there be a receptionist, secretary, or a program coordinator, who responds to calls and emails in a timely manner? It shouldn't take over two business days to receive a reply. That alone raises concerns in my opinion. With everything going on in the world today no parent wants to deal with a daycare that neglects to follow through on their commitments. There is much more I can say but I'll leave it at that. Do your own research and understand they'll tell you anything when you inquire about registering your child. Do not be surprised if you have a less than desirable experience Be safe everyone

I am not one to write reviews, but I feel it's important for me to share my experience so that…read moreother parents can have feedback when looking into childcare with this facility. Pros: 1. I would give my child's teacher a 5 star. She was the only reason I kept my child at this center. She cared for her students as if they were her own. 2. The curriculum was excellent, and my child's teacher was very creative with their learning lessons. Cons: 1. There is a lack of communication from the Owner/Director of this center. My child was there for a reasonable amount of time, and she never made an effort to meet with parents. All her communication is done via email or the daycare app. 2. As a paying parent, there was no regards to the stability of my child. On numerous occasions my child's class was transferred from one location to the next without ample notice or without any feedback from the parents. There was also an attempt to change my child to another classroom. Again, no disregard for my child's stability. 3. The hours of this center may not work for working parents. When I enrolled my child, the contract said that their hours were 7:30-6pm. After I signed up, I was notified that the center closed at 4:30 P.M "due to covid". I was also notified a couple of months later that the center's does not open their doors until 8:00AM; Which was inconvenient for myself because those hours do not concede with normal daycare hours. 4. Do not expect to participate in any daycare functions with your child. Parents are not allowed to be participate in birthday parties. In addition, there was no end of the year step-up ceremony for my child's class. As a parent I feel like that was a moment that was denied to my child and his classmates deliberately by the management of this place. There were not many reviews on The Caring Tree when I enrolled my child. The bottom line is that matters are handled unethically and unprofessionally and do not coincide with how a childcare business should operate. I hope this is helpful to other parents.

Our daughter has been going to Gardens since she was 5 months old, and has absolutely blossomed as…read moreshes grown up there. As a first time mom going back to work, I was a nervous wreck thinking about leaving my baby everyday. However, from the very beginning, the entire team has gone above and beyond to support our daughter and our family. They have been incredibly accommodating with schedule changes, thoughtful and patient through food-related challenges, and always willing to answer the endless questions that come with being a new parent. The care, attention, and love they give each child is truly exceptional. Our daughter is so happy there, and seeing her open the classroom door eachday with a smile and hug the teachers tells us everything we need to know. She has formed beautiful relationships with both her teachers and her friends; that means the world to us. What stands out the most is how genuinely invested they are in her well-being and development. They know her, celebrate her, teach her, comfort her, and help her grow. We always feel informed, supported, and included as parents. Trusting someone else with your baby is one of the hardest things a parent can do. Before becoming a Gardens daycare family, I never imagined I could feel this level of confidence and peace of mind. We trust them implicitly. We are endlessly grateful for the incredible teachers who have become such an important part of our village. They mean so much to our family, and we recommend Gardens wholeheartedly.

We adore Gardens Day Care! The staff are extremely caring, the kids are always learning about new…read moretopics, making new art, going on new adventures. The classrooms are perfectly sized, they provide food (makes it so much easier for parents). Overall, knowing our daughter is loved in a nurturing environment and is well taken care of is ALL that matters. The language development (English and Spanish!) tremendous developmental growth, socialization opportunities and learning environment are just an added bonus! I highly recommend Gardens to any parent looking for daycare for any age as young as infant. The daycare director is so accessible, and understanding as well. We trust them 100%.