While my child does not attend this school, I've contacted them three times to get information…read more Each time I received a different situation and no o e really seemed to understand what is going on at their day cafe. I would never trust my child to a business that can't even keep track of basic policies and expectations.

When my wife and I began looking for day cares of course there is a lot of emotions at play. After…read morelooking at more than a few day cares (I will spare you the details) my wife and I decided upon puddle duck. The teachers there were amazing. My son always looked forward to his two day care days and I always felt at ease knowing he was in the most capable hands. I have recommended this daycare with confidence to others and will continue to. Thanks for everything!

I believe this place is discriminatory and only hire people who are either friends or relatives…read more They never answer telephone calls, never respond to emails or never respond to messages. Very Strange place.

The teachers are great. They are welcoming, caring, and have good communication skills.read more

The Boys & Girls Club of Wakefield runs the Community Boating rentals at Lake Quannapowitt in…read moreWakefield (kayaks and pedal boats) and Ell Pond in Melrose (kayaks) during the summer months. They have single and double kayaks available. The pricing is per hour and very affordable at $12 for a single, $16 for a double or the pedal boat. If you are a Wakefield resident you get a discount making it $9 and $12 respectively an hour. They also have a summer pass that is very reasonable. Everything runs very smoothly. You can reserve and pay ahead of time online - and probably can try to catch an hour in person if they have openings, but I would recommend making a reservation online ahead of time. I tried the pedal boat last year and went on opening day this year for the kayaks and plan to go a few more times this summer and maybe check out the Melrose location too. Both experiences have been great. They were prepared and ready for us when we showed up and were very friendly. When you get there and check in, you do have to fill out a waiver and get a life vest. They also have sunscreen available for if you forget to bring/wear it and need it. Make sure to wear clothes and shoes that you are comfortable getting wet because you will get a little wet. My one complaint with the pedal boat was that they did not flip it after the people before us so there was already some muck/water in the boat but it didn't ruin the experience and was not a big deal as we expected to get wet anyways, it would just be a small recommendation since those tend to get some leakage when out on the water. Overall, I really think this is awesome for the community and the boys and girls club and recommend that you support them if you want to get some local kayaking in during the summer!!

This is a hidden gem, and I can't say enough about it. Alex (we miss you so much), Keith, Abby -…read moreparticular employee stars for us. This place has been a Godsend for us, helping a middle class family provide high quality, diverse, conscientious, active programming that we otherwise could NOT afford. I have an 8 year old, and a 6 year old, and we live outside of Stoneham (from where they provide busing for a low cost direct from school). My children have been attending for about two years - the younger one has been there twice-a-week in their Club, Jr. program, and has attended almost every week this summer, and some of last summer (then split the time with BGC Wakefield). Alex had run that program and was AMAZING. This is a certified after school program, and extremely well organized. They do STEM projects, are treated with a great level of respect, are given responsibilities, do group projects, eat a snack that meets regulations, and get run-around time. Let me insert here that we are Jewish, and during Passover where we can't have leavened breads, Alex made a point of having different, non-bread snacks for us that week! One of my favorite things to watch at my pickup time was the counselors playing some combination of i-spy and hide-and-go-seek with the kids. Alex was highly responsive to any & every inquiry I had, and utilized the app Class Dojo to keep parents informed and up to date on what each day held. When my daughter had a bad day, he'd talk to me privately; if she had a conflict with a child, he spoke with me about it and called me w/ concerns. I felt my daughter was safe and in a wonderfully enriching, under-control environment. Alex has left to teach 6th grade math, and I can't tell you how much we'll miss him. I believe Zac is going to be replacing him. These are huge shoes to fill and I look forward to seeing school year 2018-2019 :) Our older daughter has been attending their regular club program at the cost of $25/year/child...yes, you read that right, to attend any of their drop-in programs after school, which runs basically 2:30 pm until about 6 pm for younger kids. Older children can stay later. She has attended periodic chorus, clay art class, jewelry making, girls gym, and many other classes. One huge benefit of BGCS is that they offer programming during the vacation weeks at school at an + low cost. Doing the simple math of the cost of hiring a babysitter, it's obvious this is a much better choice. I am able to work, I don't have to drag my kids to work where they're bored to tears for 20 hours, and I know they're under great supervision and direction. This 2018 summer, the kids have had a blast. They have enjoyed a differently themed program every week where they are empowered to have great behavior and earn points. Each group (excellent counselor ratio!) gets a name or theme and there's Camper of the Day and Camper of the Week. They have an opportunity to additionally do a themed specialty camp (older daughter elected for Cooking camp and this week so far has made totally homemade pizza, breakfast items including eggs, brownies, homemade pasta...) or a STEM camp, such as Lego or rockets. They go on a weekly free pool trip and have opportunities for 3x/week swim lesson add-on. They have a field trip included in the price, which has included farms, zoos, Museum of Science, Skyzone, etc. They work REALLY hard at creating unique programming that is well thought-out and executed. IMHO this site, Stoneham, is better suited for the younger-than-teen, whereas I observed that Wakefield is better suited for teenagers. HOWEVER! One membership, $25/year/child, is good for both places so you can pick and choose as best suits you! Thank you all for truly helping a family make ends meet, and providing amazing opportunities while not just "babysitting." If you go, you might be underwhelmed by the facility. Ask to be shown around. Parents are welcomed to observe their kids in the Club Jr. room, which is cozy and sweet, and they have had presentations to show the group projects they were working on. They have a big gym, an arts and crafts room, a big open play room, a computer room, staff rooms in a different leg of the building, a great private, attached fenced in court (kids LOVED drip-drop which is like duck duck goose but with water this summer) and a fenced in area right out front with picnic tables, shade, and plenty of places for the little ones to play with supervision. I haven't mentioned everything! I encourage you to support them financially as you can, and to take advantage of their amazing programming. :) PS: please: Bingo folks sharing the driveway should park further away when they bus to Foxwoods.

Just called to ask if they had availability for my daughter, and the response was an impressively…read morerude, curt, "Nope," followed by a long pause. Glad I won't be going there. I would have expected at least a LITTLE more friendly customer service. Maybe an, "I'm sorry, we are full but we would be happy to put you on our waiting list..." etc etc. I expect a much higher level of professionalism from an institution that is caring for, and educating, children.

I was not impressed with the "teaching" staff. I was even less impressed with the director of this…read moredaycare center.

We had our sons 6th birthday with Sports Zone 101 this past weekend and it was amazing. The staff…read morewas great with the kids and kept them engaged the entire time. They even helped the younger siblings keep up witht the activites so they weren't left out. They offered to help bring in anything we had for the party from the car, helped me serve food, beverages, and cake and helped me clean up at the end. They went above and beyond my expectations for the party. The only thing I think could be improved on is the timing between parties. The parties run back to back so there is no buffer between the party before you to get their stuff cleaned up so you can get your stuff set up. Other than that I would definitely have another party with them and recommend them to anyone looking to host a party for their kids!

had my daughter's birthday party here on a sunday 1pm. We were there 30 min early to prep/ decorate…read moreand everything. The door was locked. It was actually hard to find the business in the first place. There is no name or direction to this business from the sign on the entrance. It is located on the back of the building. I contacted the business. No answering. It keeps going to voice mail. I had to chat on their website asking to call me immediately, and then i received a phone call. i was told that staff are arriving by 12:45pm. We finally got in, and the place was like a wearhouse. We had to hurry so much, which is not ideal for party hosts. Staff were trying to help, and kids had fun. That is why i am leaving 2 stars.

I highly recommend Little Achievers Family Childcare in Woburn. Both of mine kids went there from…read more3 months up till they started kindergarten. It was like having family care for them while we worked. Great learning environment. Clean, organized, with structure for the kids. A working mother's dream. https://www.littleachieverslearning.com/

We are so happy to send our kids here. Christy used to run big child care centers and now runs this…read moredaycare out of her home. She is exceptionally knowledgeable about children and has helped me with all kinds of kid things, since I am NOT knowledgeable about children :-) She and her staff (all of whom are family!) truly care about the kids and really take care of them lovingly. One of my favorite aspects of Little Achievers is how they encourage the kids to be age-appropriately independent. My 2 year old daughter can do so many things herself - put on her coat and shoes and using safety scissors for example - and she is SO proud that she can. I think a lot of the way she is willing to take on new challenges and keep trying even if she fails comes from the encouragement and structure she gets at Little Achievers. I also love how Christy focuses on helping the kids learn how to be good people. She is firm about manners and making sure the kids treat the staff and each other kindly and with respect. My daughter knows what is and is not kind behavior, and that her behavior can have an effect on the people around her. (Does she always choose to behave well? Absolutely not... but hey, she's 2!) We feel confident that bringing our kids here keeps them safe, happy, and helps them learn.

I love Sing Along Story Time events! They are really affordable and Kristen makes it an educational…read moreexperience for the kids. Even the parents become engaged and have a great time. She does so much more than just stories... there are songs and dances and life lessons. I highly recommend Kristen!

I host events at a community in San Jose and have had Kristen come on-site numerous times. She is…read moreamazing with our residents and especially their children! You can tell by her presence that she truly loves what she does. I notice that she does her best to interact & engage each child in the room, something I think is very special. I get so many good reviews about her from the residents. I look forward to continuing our partnership!

We love Mahmuda's Happy Kindercare in home daycare. Our daughter started there when she was 6…read moremonths old and it's been a wonderful 2+ years. We prioritized having her in a loving and nurturing environment and didn't worry about constant updates through an App like at some of the big daycare centers. That's what we've got from "Ma". Our daughter is like a member of her family and receives all the love and care she provides for her own kids who are like older siblings to our daughter. She loves when they come home from school and they are so sweet with her. Beyond receiving loving care, she constantly comes home with new skills, songs, games, and language development. These early years with Mahmuda and her family are something we will forever cherish. I can't recommend this daycare enough.

From the owner: With kids, every day is different. My program is structured around a variety of games and…read moreactivities that promote physical, artistic, and social development. We play outside, visit local museums--whatever the kids like and will help them grow and learn. I want them to develop their bodies and minds, while also having fun.

My older daughter graduated from the school two years ago and my youngest is about to begin her…read moresecond year. For our family the school has been wonderful. The staff is talented and committed. There is a parent participation component, as with all cooperative programs. This is something that drew me to the program. I was amazed my first year how varied people's situations are - one or both parents working outside the home part or full time, nanny's, grandparents and family friends helping out at pick-up and drop-off, as well as moms and dads working as stay-at-home parents. I didn't carpool, but some families arranged carpools. I often swapped child-care of my youngest daughter (when my oldest was in school) on parent-help days and then would watch another family's younger child when it was their turn. I've benefited from the sense of community at the school, and the chance to have a few hours every month or so to be with my child at school. The best part though is the positive experience my children have had at the school, developing social skills and learning through play.

My youngest attended their toddler program last year, and will be entering the 3-year-old program…read morethis fall. We had a great experience in his first year. It is a cooperative program, so you have to be open to that aspect. I personally loved helping in the classroom and getting to observe my child interacting with his friends. There are some volunteer components -- one work day a year to help maintain the school and grounds and service on one committee -- but they certainly aren't onerous. It's not for everyone, but so far I've found it very manageable as a working parent. The other parents are very supportive and open to switching schedules. I'm new to town, so I've found it a valuable way to meet other people and find a sense of community. The curriculum is play-based, so the focus is more on developing imagination, healthy social interaction, etc. I'm looking forward to seeing how the curriculum develops as my son progresses.