Tammy is the most heartless Head of School who openly shows no care for students and their…read morefamilies, neither the well being of her staff members. This school has no regards on separating families whose lives changed due to relocation and can't afford to break contract because they want parents to pay for a whole school year, even when they are not providing the educational services. Family dynamics change, families get relocated, and they have no concerns on the separation anxieties on their students about the parents, or their mental health. They have 0 empathy and unwilling to work things out to keep families together. She also mistreated staff members that she doesn't like and keep things behind parents knowledge.

Ask yourself how would you want your school to act during a crisis?…read moreHere is our experience ... On January 2020, we signed a 5 months contract with MSD for both our kids - a 20m old baby and a 4y. Despite missing half the school year, MSD refused to prorate the admission fee of $2,200 per 2 kids. We were a little surprised how much the kids struggled in the first 2 months. The 4 years old had experienced physical and emotional bulling from older boys, and we had to intervene time and again. The toddler could not express himself. However, every time we picked him up we were terribly disturbed. Our baby was waiting for us every day outside in the playground in the cold days of January and February. Standing alone, he was motionless, looking visibly cold and uncomfortable. His bib was always dirty and terribly wet, making his chin red and irritated; his hands and nose red and very cold to touch. It was so stressful to see, we had to complain several times but things improves only a bit. Sadly, just as the children begin to settle in a bit, the school had to close due to coronavirus. When it was clearly a long-term situation, the school tried to adapt the framework of higher education institutions and move to distance learning. With an email a day per each kid, the school has tried to offer its distance learning for toddlers and preschool kids as a fair replacement for in person/ class learning. And without mentioning any official change to its policy nor a discussion of the contractual agreement between us, the school began to reframe its digital effort as an interchangeable learning tool to the traditional Montessori experience. A friend described the irony to me in such elegance: "a virtual Montessori classroom is an oxymoron ..... Providing digital services to you as a parent is the exact opposite of what you paid for". We told the principal that ultimately in our case, the distance learning the school has offered fails to address our family needs. At the developmental stage of toddlers and young preschoolers, distance learning requires unreasonable level of parental engagement and it puts an overwhelming burden on working parents like us. We acknowledged that perhaps this is useful learning tools for their K-6 graders who are older and can better study and follow instructions independently with limited need for parental oversight and engagement. But it fall on deaf ears. MSD has pushed back against any claims we made for getting a refund. And with with just an email, they moved to charge us tuition for distance learning in the same rate it had charged us for its traditional 5 days schedule in-person program from 8-12pm. And so, we have now unwillingly found ourselves having paid Montessori School of Durham $18k for as little as +2 months of school. And if this not enough, now we had to worry also about next year. Having signed a 2020-2021contract with the school in Feb 2020, we have been weary of similar outcomes in the likely event of a second wave of the virus next year. Making several attempts via emails and phone calls, we asked MSD to clarify its financial policy for next year and an update to the contract accordingly. The Principal has refused to answer. So we asked to withdraw our kids enrollment from next school year 2020-2021 since we do not agree with the current change of term and their refusal to update us with next year policies. The Principal responded with a threat to sue us for the full yearly tuition of both kids as well as the school legal fees. Apply to MSD and this will be your partner in a time of crisis.

Okay, everything about this place was incredible. I was truly blown away…read more First of all, it's super clean. We came here at a 3pm on a Monday afternoon and there was maybe one or two other guests playing there. It was a quiet start. Even with the uptick in guests later on, the employees were consistently cleaning up after the children and putting toys back to where they had originally been. It's $12 per kid with adult and $4 per additional adult guest. They don't currently offer membership options but they do have discounted Open Play package plans available: 4 play sessions for $44, 8 play sessions for $84, or 16 sessions for $156. They are designed for children aged 6 months up to 6 years. I absolutely loved the music they played which can best be described as low-fi and chill vibes all around. Just as an example, El Michels Affair- C.R.E.A.M. I can honestly say that this is the first time I've heard music sampling Wu-Tang at a kids play place but I ain't mad about it. There are classes on Mondays and Fridays for the "older kids" aged 3-6. The room looked super cool. They start off with a circle time style stories and songs then move off to the (baby) gated area with multiple sensory play experiences set up on tables. They've got a "calm room" complete with sensory sequined pillow and other touch opportunities, puzzles, books, glitter tubes, and noice cancelling headphones for kids feeling overwhelmed or needing to decompress. There is a variety of robots/toy cars/bugs on shelves on the left hand wall for kids to play with in the quiet (calm) room. The 2 bugs are the only ones that are not remote control operated and can be played with in the main play area. Ask an employee for help and they will unlock the cabinet and provide you with the remote control and instructions for how to operate these toys. They've got wi-fi, classes, so much fun stuff everywhere, and a food and drink area that offers kid snacks for purchase as well as complimentary coffee and tea for the adults! Amazing. Everything about the Wonder Lab is so thoughtfully designed. It is such a cozy and fun and welcoming place and you can really see and feel the effort put into the play space. All the spaces are utilized so well and with varying themes throughout (outer space, arctic felt wall, etc). I could go on and on. I love the Wonder Lab!!!

My kids absolutely love this place! And so do I! We went there just for playtime, and although my…read morekids vary in age, all of them were engaged and learning while having so much fun. I was so impressed that we ended up booking a birthday party there and that was the easiest birthday experience I've had in a long time. They can provide everything and have the room all decorated, you just show up with the kids and your guests and have a great time. We'll be doing another birthday party there in a month!

Both my nieces strolled through this establishment. They turned out ok, so, i guess DA has…read moresomething to do with that. Ya feel me?

Durham Academy is one of the top private schools in North Carolina. The focus is on building…read moreleaders, not in just educating. The preschool is a warm and enriching environment. The lower school starts the educational journey, which continues progressing through High School. Classes are roughly 16-20 students, with daily enrichment classes across all disciplines. 100% of graduating seniors go to college, with most going to first choice schools.

Incredible dual-language programming in a Montessori setting with experienced and caring teachers…read moreand admin. Strong and vibrant parent community.

My wife and I are professors at UNC and Duke, respectively. We have researched most of the schools…read morein the area and decided to send our older child to Duke School with mixed results. With our youngest, we tried IMS and have been amazed at the level of dedication by teachers and administration. Solid education with emphasis on intercultural competence and language acquisition. Simply the best school in the Triangle. Excellent management of Covid issues by the administration and staff. Cannot recommend it more in terms of education and community. They have their priorities straight!

We are halfway through our second year at RUMC Preschool and it has been a great experience! The…read morestaff are very kind and responsive, and truly care about all the preschool families. It's a small community, which I enjoy and which allows great accessibility. They also allow and encourage parents to be as involved as they would like to be. My daughters are well cared for, loved, and have thrived in the school. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Both of my sons attend this preschool and I can't say enough good things about it. All the teachers…read moreare so incredibly caring and engaging and the director (Amy) is amazing! My kids absolutely love going to school which is a big deal to me as a previous teacher. I knew preschool would be their first introduction to the school setting (even though the majority of their day is play based) and I could not be happier with our choice!

I love this School. My kids have gone here and it is truly amazing. The teachers are so kind and…read morehave the kids best interest in mind.

Summer Camp Review: I think the young adult counsellors are not implementing the program as on…read morepaper. Such a disappointment as it really missed the mark. Of course, not all counsellors but the few we experienced have put on movies, and are kinda immature in interacting during parent interaction. Don't get me wrong nobody is mean but the place isn't worth the price at all. YMCA is running laps around Duke School summer camp in terms of fun energy and don't tell me it's educational and cut out half the stated activities b/c suzie q didn't remember. Overall Duke School is a master a marketing an illusion of what it thinks it is. Maybe 20 years ago dude...

After a lot of media attention related to day care issues all over the country and stories of…read morechildren being neglected/forgotten, I approached our day care options very carefully and cautiously. It is important to keep in mind that not everyone's experiences exemplify the all-around experience, and not every teacher is the same. The teachers in the classroom make a world of difference to the experience of the family entrusting them. With that said, we have been exceedingly fortunate to have had our nearly 2 year-old under the care of Ms. Ann, Ms. Kenisha, and Ms. Susan here. They have all shown what appears to be an honest interest and care for our child. They provide daily care sheets that let us know what he/she ate (of huge importance to me), how they engaged him/her 'academically' (at the toddler age, this would be like singing a certain song, learning about a certain color, working on please/thank you, etc.), diaper changes, naps, and communication to the parents if diapers or wipes are running low. It is an efficient system for communicating those things you are hoping your child is doing/eating/learning. We have popped in without notice on several occasions to really do our own form of 'random inspection,' if you will - really we wanted to verify that at random points midday that our child was being attended to as necessary, playing well, eating well, napping well, etc. So far each visit has been great and we have never experienced any issues with any of the staff that has cared for our child. The management has been wonderful as well. Ms. Stacey does a wonderful job of remembering you and your child's name, and any issues or questions with tuition, payments, general care questions that I have sent them via email have been responded to very promptly. You can research the facility/franchise online and see the technology available to the students. There's a great play town that the older kids get to take advantage of (our toddler is still too young at this point), there are two separate outdoor play areas complete with toys, slides, and ample room as well as seating and shade. They do apply sunblock to the kids, which is a nice touch. We have also been told that as our child gets older and moves up to the next class, they will work on potty training as well. We have seen our child's vocabulary and social skills absolutely BLOSSOM since we have started with this TLE. As I said, we have been so lucky to have the great teachers our child has right now. As our child grows and switches to another class, that story may or may not change, but I will update my review as necessary. For now, I am happy to report that we are extremely satisfied with the care, attention, and developmental/educational lessons that these caring teachers have provided for our child.

We have had a terrific experience at this daycare (TLE). Our daughter started at 13 weeks old…read more After the childcare situation we'd planned on since before she was born fell through at the last minute, I showed up at TLE a bit desperate. With three days left before I was supposed to start back at work, I count myself so lucky that they happened to have one spot open in the infant room! Ms. Regina in Infant Room B is a wonderful caregiver. She is always calm and steady, always positive and warm. Her classroom is peaceful, and the kiddos in there seem very content. I was worried that our daughter, who struggled with bottle feeding, would go hungry at daycare. Ms. Regina was willing to work with her and now our kiddo is happily taking five bottles a day. What's even more amazing is that, after I told Ms. Regina I was really struggling with missing my daughter while at work, she started writing extra notes in the daily report. In addition to knowing when my baby napped/ate/was changed, I get to read little details like, "She seems to be especially fond of one of the other babies in the room," or, "Today she smiled while her teacher held her up to the window and talked about the arrival of spring." Those little glimpses into her day show me that she's getting attention and love, and they make all the difference to my peace of mind. Overall, everyone at this center seems kind and sincere. While our daughter does spend some time in bouncy chairs (which is unavoidable when one person cares for multiple infants!), I was thrilled to see that she is more often being held or hanging out in a Boppy pillow on the floor while looking happily at the other babies. Ms. Wendi, the director, is very personable and patient with new parent concerns. She also called promptly on the two occasions that my daughter had an "incident" -- throwing up and getting a small scratch. This made me feel very secure that our kid was safe at TLE. Before enrolling, when I looked for reviews of this daycare online, I didn't find that many -- so I'm especially happy to add my opinion and say that I'd definitely recommend TLE to friends and would say it is worth every penny.