As a fellow early childhood educator who has run a childcare program before, when I was looking for…read morea preschool for my son, I knew I wanted a play-based program where my child would have plenty of opportunities to explore and simply have a great time. We came across The Farmhouse School, and I was so excited. The philosophy is exactly what I hoped to find- Play-based, a focus on social emotional wellbeing, open-ended exploration, and great family support. My son had only been with me for his first three years of life, and I wasn't sure how he would take to being away from me, but he's done amazingly well so far. He is excited to go, and even asks to go on the weekend. He always has a big smile on his face while we head to school, and he tells me about how he plays with his friends at pickup. The teachers are all lovely and warm, and are very compassionate. They understand how to work with children and families to ensure the transition from home to school goes well. I can't say enough about the school. It's great, and I wish there were more schools like this in the area so more children could experience what best practices are for this age group!

The Farmhouse School is a charming and wonderful school. The teachers are very patient, kind, and…read morecontinuously ask the students great questions. Some favorite components of the school for my daughter was the rotation of exploratory areas and touch areas. For example, some weeks they have a big bin of leaves and other weeks they have interesting beads, or water play. Some weeks there are tables with writing with interesting things or ways to write your name or guess the smell in the cup. There is even a quaint writing center and student mailboxes for sharing letters. An important component is outside play everday no matter the weather. They have a wonderful outdoor play space complete with garden and live chickens. One of the most important aspects of the school is the teacher interation with the students. For ex: When students are telling a story, the teacher is writing down what they are saying or writes down titles or explanations of the artwork created by the students. The preschoolers feel respected and love that their ideas are seen as important. Last year the students were interested in collectively creating a bug hotel, they worked on this project all year. The teachers helped the students generate lists of what the hotel needed and they were continually creating collaboratively. For a few weeks the students were interested in doing a play so the teachers started writing down their script ideas and in a few days at pick up all the parents got to watch a very charming preschool production on the back porch. When you are thinking about a place to start your child's education, Farm house is a wonderful, creative, and kind place to start.

Our daughter was in the 4&5-Year-Old (aka Funderkins) class 2009-2010. She had a wonderful…read moreexperience and was very prepared to begin kindergarten this fall. I highly recommend this program.

The Funderkins Pre-K program at the Magnolia Community Center is outstanding! We put our second…read morechild here after being disappointed with another local preschool here in Magnolia. My child loved it! The teachers are really dedicated and they run a wonderful, enriching, entertaining, educational program. I had my reservations because it was part of the Community Center, I don't know why. I was proven 100 percent wrong. My son made friends, went on field trips, took swimming lessons, learned to write his name and other words and his numbers to 100, learned his phone and address, answered a math problem of the day and read a word of the day and so much more. We've compared this program with our child in Kindergarten and are so thankful we made the decision we did as he will be Kindergarten ready, without question. They really prepare them properly and in some cases, my younger son is more advanced than the one in K.

I wanted to update my previous review (see the looooooooooong one below about how well this worked…read morefor my two developmentally delayed toddlers). My children are in elementary school now, and I continue to see my decision to place my kids at Knowledge House to be an excellent one. My kids started kindergarten academically ahead of their peers, and having already developed the social skills necessary for elementary school. They could work well with others, treat each other and adults with respect, and solve problems peacefully. I see the influence of their education at Knowledge House sneaking out in all sorts of positive ways: they shake hands with people and are confident when sharing their ideas, they include others in their play and notice when someone is left out, they love to explore and learn new things, and they use many different ways to solve problems. To add to all of that, despite the fact that many of their former classmates at Knowledge House attend different elementary schools, the kids still play together at playdates and we still talk with our former Knowledge House families. Mark and Valerie make this preschool a place for children to grow and learn at their own pace, and where children develop a sense of community and self-confidence.

Amazing school! My daughter has learned so much here and enjoyed her time with her peers.read more

My daughter began at this school when she was 3 and continued all the way through Pre-K. I must say…read moreit was a wonderful experience. The classes start at twice a week for 3 year olds and gradually increase each year - 3 days a week for four year olds and 5 days a week for Pre-K. The teachers are caring, intelligent, patient, and skilled at resolving conflicts between children. The Second Step anti-bullying program is implemented here as well, which I thought was great. There were plenty of arts and crafts to intrigue my daughter, as well as play time both in and out of doors. There are books and audio books to pique your child's interest in reading, and they also have a "lunch bunch" program you can join which helps introduce your child to eating lunch in a school atmosphere. I feel my daughter left Creative Arts with improved social skills, a higher level of confidence, and a definite love of art! I would highly recommend it.

I like this preschool. I have a 3 year old here and he likes it. The teachers are really caring for…read moreeach child and they seem to really know the kids and their strengths or weaknesses. The focus is on play for this particular program and my child has learned to interact well with other kids, share, work on communication and motor skills. The school is small but fine for the age and my son feels secure here. It's clean and very convenient in Magnolia. I just wish it were a little longer than two and a half hours, twice a week.

My wife and I have been using Nurturing Hands Daycare since January of 2014 and could not be…read morehappier. We have used a large daycare center in the past that we found adequate but we were looking for a place that we would love. My partner looked at several in home day care centers and called me right after visiting this one and said she found the perfect place and wanted me to meet the teacher. Asha is wonderful and we could tell from the moment we met her that she has a huge heart for the children she cares for. Her space is set up like a classroom and it is clear that she brings childcare knowledge and experience to center. After our initial meeting we continue to be pleased. Our child is now experiencing separation anxiety and she still loves being dropped off. She is very excited to see Asha and this brings us tremendous comfort knowing that our baby is being so well taken care of at Nurturing Hands Daycare. We have seen Asha with the other children as well and she provides the same outstanding quality of care to everyone. Specific things I love are: *Asha knows her kids and is very in tune to any concerns. Asha is very aware of what is developmentally appropriate, can give detailed feedback with any questions about behavior observations, and can give recommendations on ways to help if there is a concern. She is always willing to collaborate if we have special requests. *Asha is a lifelong learner continuing education to ensure she remains an exceptional provider. *We get pictures sent of our child engaging in activities. *A multitude of activities are done with the extra attention that comes with good teacher/child ratios *My kid has not come home sick from illness contracted at daycare *We get a daily infant log The only drawback comes from the choice of a small center where if the center isn't open alternate care has to be secured. There is nothing unreasonable about this as we all deserve a little time off throughout the year. Notice given is always appropriate. If you have a little one that needs an outstanding place to learn and thrive Nurturing Hands Daycare is an excellent choice.

My child has been with this daycare for a year and it was great until later this year they decided…read moreto not communicate with me nor did they put in the report on injuries on and off that I was seeing on my child during pick up that did not come from home. The unreported injuries they claimed that no one saw anything yet they claim they have enough teachers to watch every child. after I confronted them last week they put her in an extremely small diaper the next day. My daughter is 37 pounds and a size 6. they put her in a size 2t to 3t pull-ups left a bruise on her left hip and it didn't fully cover her bottom. When I confronted them to figure out why they put my daughter in extremely tight diaper that obviously doesn't fit. They did not communicate with me on what happened. I then terminated her enrollment. The only response I got was "sorry to see her go, we'll miss her." This was a huge disrespect for my child and myself as a mother. Update 10/28/2025: I went back over there to get my daughter's things. They have the nerve to put in the diapers that didn't belong to me that belong to another child. The size 2t diapers they're extremely small on my child. management-Alfonso, had an attitude with me and said "well, I don't know. this is what you gave us." My daughter's Father and I have been buying a size 6. Proceed with caution parents, this daycare doesn't hold any accountability whatsoever!!

Our son is in his second year at Hilltop and everything about the school lives up to its…read morereputation. Hilltop is known for doing training and education related to its Reggio, emergent curriculum (child-led learning), social justice-oriented approach. That in-house professional development means the teachers are well trained, professionally committed to early education, and teacher retention is high. They pay significant attention to each child's emotional, social, and cognitive development. There are only 2 classrooms for 2 year olds, so it can be hard to get a spot at that age, but there are a lot of options (part time, part day, after school, summer camps) for 3+. Bonus: its location on the Nickerson canal means wildlife, boats, bikes, and other opportunities for exploring nature.

Taryn is a wonderful and experienced teacher. The flexible schedule options are so helpful when…read moretrying to coordinate multiple kids after school activities. My daughter loves it.

I strongly advise parents to think twice before sending their children to this school. Our…read moreexperience has been filled with severe safety oversights, poor academic planning, and a complete lack of teacher accountability. Severe Safety Concerns: The school utilizes its own forest area, but supervision is shockingly poor. My child was lost in it multiple times. In one incredibly negligent incident, a teacher completely walked away from the group without even realizing my child was left behind. Substandard & Unlicensed Staff: We found out that multiple teachers on staff do not even hold proper teaching licenses. The English instruction is highly unprofessional; the teacher struggles with basic verb tenses and passes these grammatical errors and incorrect English habits onto the students. Disorganized Curriculum: The academic planning is entirely backward. The principal pushed the curriculum into multiplication before the students had even mastered basic subtraction. Because of this structural failure, my children were left severely behind in math when they finally transferred to a different school. Lack of Care & Blame Culture: The staff consistently shifts blame onto the children instead of taking responsibility. When the kids complained about being freezing cold outside, teachers dismissed them and blamed them for "not wearing enough layers." In art class, teachers stand by while students' clothes are ruined with paint, later claiming it is the child's fault for not wearing a poncho. I have had to throw away numerous pieces of ruined clothing.

Our son was at IFS for 3 years. A few key takeaway from our experience (and why we will enroll our…read moredaughter in the next couple years when she is ready: 1. Mandarin immersion school I think of it as going to school, but you go the extra bonus of Mandarin language (with all benefit that come with growing up as bilingual child). One can argue their preference of home based daycare, regular daycare, or school. I personally prefer school (compared to daycare) to have less students turnover, more organized activity (no one come at 9.30, 10am, and 10.30 - which break the focus of the activity), and better curriculum. 2. Reggio Emilia/Project based learning I prefer not to focus too much on academic for kids under 5. There will be time for that later on. I believe that should not be the focus for 3 years old child. Project based learning allow children to play while learn. 3. Outdoor space They do not stay at "sterile" room. The school intentionally allow students to explore and play with nature. Our son (5 years old in non Mandarin speaking household) received a lot of praise from native speaker during our trip to Taiwan that he spoke fluent Mandarin. During our time here, we enjoyed all of his teachers. We are aware of some turnover impacting some other students, but at the end of the day, some of them are out of school's control. We definitely sad that we have to leave IFS family as our son was accepted at Jing Mei. Otherwise, IFS is a strong candidate for our son's continued education.