I adore The Little School! My son has been going here for about 1.5 years, first in the older…read moretoddler room and now in the preschool. My 7 month old also just started in the infant room. The teachers here - and owner Erin! - are absolutely the warmest, kindest, and most genuine people. I'm constantly amazed at the creativity they put into each day for the kids: from building forts, to the dramatic play station, to themed crafts and working on letters and counting, they do such a wonderful job at providing an environment that is fun and safe. And the ratios! You truly can't beat them. The fact that there are only 3 (!) babies in their infant room and 4 toddlers in each group (younger and older) is something you just don't see anywhere else. I also love the parents here, several of whom have become "real life" friends! It's such a joy hearing all the stories of his day from my preschooler, it's obvious how much he loves his teachers and this school. Highly, highly, highly recommend!

The Little School came highly recommended from a close family member who had her two children…read moreattend. It seemed to be fate that there happened to be an opening that came up when my daughter turned two and a half, just in time to start the preschool program. The philosophy and teaching methods that this school bases itself upon are far superior from absolutely every other preschool that we looked in to. The staff consistently maintains an overall higher level of expectation for these kids. Which was so impressive to me because at such an impressionable age these young kids are being held accountable for themselves. They take such pride in the work that they accomplish either by themselves or in a group. They are respectful of not only the boundaries of their peers, but more importantly of themselves. As a result they are rewarded by having more freedom in their choices. From science lessons, to music class, yoga, art classes, dramatic play (my daughters fave!), weekly sharing day, to hearing what creative game they made up that day while playing outside. The amazing staff, conferences & daily progress reports, the ever so anticipated Halloween party, and sincerely wonderful families and parents, I could go on forever. Overall the three years at The Little School was a tremendously positive experience for our whole family. We now have a first grader who is reading at a fourth grade level with impressive comprehension skills. As well as going above and beyond her schools curriculum in math and science. I'm so proud of her, and I attribute so much of her early successes to her time at The Little School.

There is no better place for children to start out their educational and social/ emotional journey…read morethan Jean Lyle. My family spends nearly an hour in the car every day to get to Jean Lyle and we would gladly spend twice as long to go to this incredible place. Our daughter has blossomed under the expert and loving care of teachers many of whom who have been teaching here for decades. The student teacher ratio is amazing and the community of parents and kids is the kind of inclusive and welcoming space we all need and deserve. I don't write google reviews but Jean Lyle is pure magic and every parent should be lucky enough to be able to send their child here and watch them take flight.

Jean Lyle is a stunning gem of a school targeting children ages 3-6yr old. There are three areas…read morethat set this school apart from the rest for me: (1) Play-based philosophy: fundamentally, this is a SCHOOL not a daycare, with extremely low (like 1:4) teacher:student ratios often with student teachers and parent helpers on top of that. Children get to PLAY while they learn. With 45 years in business, this school was originally Macalester's "lab" school pioneering a caring and play-based learning philosophy that has continued, at its core. Curriculum if often driven by children's interests (oh you want to learn about sharks?) (2) The people: you know that one friend you have that makes you feel warm and heard? ALL the teachers here are like that friend. They really, individually, understand and love your children. (3) The facilities: many of the competitors i had toured sit in a small room most of the day. Jean Lyle has a huge gym and one Sunshine room dedicated to Art. Take a tour!

We have two kids at mis amigos and LOVE IT. Both transferred from another school that, politely…read moreput, wasn't meeting their needs. The difference here is night and day! Our older kid often doesn't want to come home at the end of the day! The teachers are so kind and caring and patient (with us and the kids) every morning they seem genuinely excited to see them and we get pictures and updates every day. We love that our kids are learning a second language at such a young age too. It is a little more expensive than some of the other options we considered, but they have a lot of other benefits (like included lunch for the big kid and cloth diapers for the baby). And we feel like it's incredibly valuable to get the benefits of language immersion.

Mis Amigos St Paul is a wonderful environment for my child. Starting back at work and putting our…read morechildren in the hands of someone else can be nerve-wracking but after I felt how caring the teachers are here, I became very comfortable with leaving her all day. You can really feel how much the teachers care about their students, which is the most important thing I look for in a daycare. The Spanish-speaking environment has been enriching for her development as well. Thank you Mis Amigos!

Great gym for the whole family! The equipment is always in excellent condition, and there's a wide…read morevariety of classes to choose from. Having access to both a sauna and steam room in the locker rooms is a huge bonus--especially during the winter months. We really appreciate the childcare option for our daughter, which allows us to work out uninterrupted, and the playroom staff is consistently friendly and attentive. For the range of amenities included, the pricing is very compelling, and we honestly couldn't find a better option than the JCC Capp Center. If you live in Mac-Groveland, Highland Park, or the surrounding St. Paul area, I highly recommend it.

We love the JCC! Great offerings for a great value. We signed up to use the fitness center and…read morepool. They offer a very large fitness area with all the usual equipment. They have a lap pool, fun kiddy pool with water slides and a hot tub. They offer many fitness classes that are included in your membership. The locker rooms offer saunas and steam rooms. I'm sure you may be wondering; you don't need to be Jewish to be a member. You are also invited to attend special programs they have going on at the center, including the changing art installations, concerts, etc.

We have been so, so happy sending our daughter here. My daughter looks forward to going to school…read moreeach day, and has formed great friendships here. The teachers are so invested in each child and have created a wonderful, engaging environment for learning and play. My daughter particularly loves the imaginary play area, which rotates it's theme every month-a post office, a hospital, bakery, etc. This aligns with topics each month for learning-such as body/health. The teachers have decades of experience, and are always available to chat. We get updates each day on what was covered, along with pictures, which can help facilitate chatting about what happened that day over dinner. So grateful to have found this gem and very highly recommend.

Learning through play and helping children develop their social/ emotional skills is the focus at…read moreMacalester Plymouth!

Our daughter has been enrolled at Kinderstube for 7 months now. She attends the Diamond Lake Rd…read morelocation. So far we are very happy with everything. The teachers are all very nice and seem to genuinely enjoy working with children. Being a German immersion program, the teachers speak to the students only in German however the kids are not forced to speak in German if they do not know or feel ready to do so. Whenever we drop off or pick up, the classrooms are clean, orderly, and safe. They do many different activities that our daughter loves to bring home and show us. They also have additional dance class that you can purchase that the students can attend. We get our weekly yoga and dancing lesson once she comes home because she's very excited to show us what she's learned. Overall, we are very satisfied with everything at this school and plan to enroll our son next year once he's of attendance age. Most importantly, our daughter always looks forward to going and has never complained or not wanted to go.

You will notice from my other reviews here that I am not really a negative review type of person…read more But unfortunately, I feel the need to share; So this review is really two-reviews in one. Review 1: If your child is "normal," then they will probably have a great time. The actual teachers are very caring, and I can't speak enough praise about Michelle, Kirsten and Robin at the Minneapolis campus. I truly think that Michelle is one of the best early childhood educators I have ever met. She is genuine, hardworking, and really gets kids. Review 2: If your child is a boy, or has a higher level of energy, or has any kind of mental illness, disability or special needs, I unfortunately cannot recommend this school. My son attended school there for 7 months and most of his time there was uneventful. A few months in he started talking about fears about the head teacher Vincent and how Vincent was mean to him. I still do not know what happened to make my child so afraid of Vincent, since my son shuts down anytime I try to broach the subject (although since he left the school his stomachaches magically disappeared). Although I do think (I hope) there was not any abuse, I really am just stumped and will have to be satisfied with never knowing. In unrelated move, my family decided to also pursue mental health treatment for my son for sleep. We mentioned this to the school in an effort for open communication. There were occasional "bad" days and difficulties hitting, but nothing that any of the teachers, nor Vincent, nor Babett, the director, said indicated that this was anything but typical rowdy "boy" behavior. However, after we revealed the diagnosis to the school, it seemed as if Vincent made an effort to remove my son. He repeatedly called us to pick up our son, with crisp phone calls without providing any further discussion about strategy, behavior modification or any other problems. In these calls, he only indicated the problems and never mentioned any attempts at solutions. Only two weeks after we shared the diagnosis, in what my husband and I thought was a strategy meeting, Vincent and Babett literally said, "he has to go" and that they, "didn't want to manage him." In every moment, up to that point, my husband and I were open and interested in engaging with the staff. We provided a book to inform them of our son's new diagnosis, sent a LICSW to discuss some of my son's "problem" behaviors, and even came to the expulsion meeting with our behavior strategy plan. Vincent and Babett never showed any interest in meeting with us or even discussing anything with us prior to the fateful meeting. They never attempted to discuss with us any plans, behavior modifications, or even asked us what worked well for our child. Given Vincent's strange schedule at the school, he was never available to chat with after the school day. Furthermore, they have a so-called-level system in their handbook, which they did not follow at all. Our primary concern, after this situation, was not that my son is no longer there (I agree, 300% that it is not a good fit; and personally, I wouldn't even send my "normal" child there), but it was the lack of communication, lack of empathy, and lack of any attempts to accommodate a child's disability that make me question Vincent and Babett's choice of careers. Discrimination is not acceptable. Although private preschools can do what they want, they need to realize that expulsion is, as child psychologist Gilliam writes, not a child behavior; it is an adult decision. There is great research out there showing that most "expel" worthy behaviors are easily changed with both parent and teacher work. Although every child is different and I have known children who had a great time with the Kinderstube and even with Vincent, I personally cannot recommend the school. Until they deal with their internal issues about discrimination and address their relationship to preschool expulsion, it is not a safe place for children.