My son has been at The Cary School for just under 2 years and the benefits of this NAEYC accredited school are visibly clear. My son started in the older toddlers class and, when it was time to transition to the next class up, it was exactly that: a transition. His specific needs were attended to. My son was nervous about changing classes so he would start his day with me dropping him off in his old class. Throughout the day he'd be asked if he'd like to visit his friends in the bigger class and, only when he said he was ready, he'd go over. It took a grand total of 3 days for him to have the confidence to start his day in the bigger class! My little guy was delayed in speech. Learning 3 languages at once can apparently do that. The school has speech therapists that come in to work with the kids who need it. I don't have to worry about scheduling appointments or environments my child is uncomfortable in. It only took 1 session a week for 1 year from my almost-non-verbal 2 year old to become a tri-lingual, chatty 3 year old. The school uses an app that directly notifies the parent with updates about their child. We are informed of potty use, naps, meals and snacks, activities, and any other moments. It's rare to not get multiple photo updates each day. The app also has the weekly lesson plan and, being a former preschool teacher myself, I can vouch that the format of the lesson plans are excellent! I felt compelled to write this review for 2 reasons: first, to share my amazing experiences and, second, to question another review I read on here. I noticed a review from some years ago that was very disappointing. This confused me because I've known families with kids at the school for many years. At no point did anyone ever confide in me that the school was anything less than exceptional. I've only ever heard praises. The specifics of said review raised questions in my head about the poster. Written were complaints about the child being dirty, scratched, in a class with a biting child, and encouraging the use of pull-ups. As I mentioned before, I'm a former preschool teacher (of 15 years, then public high school teacher). In my experience, this sounds very much like a parent that is asking for their child to NOT be a child. I WANT my child to be dirty! It means he's had fun! My child's clothes are always changed when it's anything more that playground dirt or paint. Scratches are to be expected on little kids. If there are no scratches, there are no experiences. If my son didn't cry, I'm betting he was fine. I don't know a single person or child who can clarify every scratch they get. Having a biter in the class sucks. ​​one of the families I knew at the school before we started there had a child that was a biter. They were provided resources to help their child stop the behavior. It took two weeks for the problem to resolve. There was another family, however, that refused the resources and, when the child did not stop biting, the family was given the option to be referred to another school or take advantage of the resources. As for encouraging the use of pull-ups... first, I have no idea what other schools the poster had spoken with, claiming this is the only school to encourage their use. I've never heard that other schools discourage the use of pull-ups. Also, I want my son doing whatever option he's most comfortable with. If it's pull-ups, pull-ups it is. If it's diapers or straight up underwear, cool! My family has always felt supported by the entire school in the decisions we make. Finally, I wanted to address the claim that the owner is cold or didn't care. My gut reaction is that there is something wrong with the negative poster. I adore the entire staff. I've always felt like they make time to sit down and speak with us if we have questions or are looking for guidance in regards to our son's upbringing and milestones. We've become friends with many other families at the school and they all feel the same as us. They love the owner, the office personnel, the teachers, the assistants, the programs, the special events, the structure, the appearance of the school, the development in their children... I've become very close with 2 families that chose to try different schools. One was looking for something cheaper, the other was looking for a very specialized, language immersion school. The first told me 2 weeks after leaving that they see the difference, that The Cary School actually taught her child rather than just babysit. The second was happy at the language immersion school until they realized the cultural differences and decided their child needed more nurture than was offered. Both families have recently returned to The Cary School after just a few months. Review readers, there's a reason this school has a long wait list, ha​s the accreditation it does, and all but one reviews are so wonderful. If you read all of the reviews, make sure you read between the lines of that negative one... read more

As first time parents, we had no understanding of the differences in local daycares/preschools, we felt fortunate to have found an opening in the newborn classroom. Knowing the length of time we would leaving our child every day, our only hope was to find an environment where our child felt loved and safe. What we discovered was a school that was so much more. Over the past five years, both of our daughters have called The Cary School home. They've journeyed through every stage--from the newborn days through toddlerhood, twos and into preschool. Each transition has been supported by staff who truly know and care for our kids. The depth of dedication became clear at our first parent-teacher conference. We were amazed to learn about the thoughtful planning, careful assessment, and intention that goes into each child's development. The weekly lesson plans continue to impress us, as do the learning experiences our daughters encounter daily. The staff has created an environment where learning feels like play--so much so that our girls actually miss school during vacations and eagerly anticipate returning. Beyond academics, The Cary School has become our second family. Our daughters are greeted with hugs each morning, encouraged to create and explore their imaginations, discover through hands-on learning stations, venture outdoors and build lasting friendships. As we prepare to send our first Cary School graduate to kindergarten, we're filled with gratitude for the love, time, and expertise the teachers and leadership have invested in both our daughters. They haven't just prepared our children academically--they've nurtured them into confident, curious and caring human beings. The Cary School didn't just meet our hopes; it has exceeded them in every way. read more

We have had the privilege to send our two daughters to The Cary School since they were both infants. Our oldest is now 5 and will be off to K in the fall, while our youngest has one more year of pre-k. Each and every teacher and staff member at the school has been remarkable. They are the village we always hoped our girls would have. Our girls feel loved, cared for, challenged and are both thriving. The curriculum is well thought out, the girls love the different activities and units and they love Chef Pedro's meals. And the special programs and events they create and present are just incredible. The Cary School is and has been my girls home away from home. I'm going to be so sad when we have to say good-bye next year. read more

So glad we found The Cary School. We have 2 children at the school and are happy to say both are thriving. The teachers here are excellent! I appreciate that they place a big emphasis on social/emotional development, as well as academics. They do so many activities (even for the little ones) and take great field trips. All of the staff know everyone's name and you can tell they genuinely love their jobs and care for the kids. I'd highly recommend for anyone looking. Excellent location and hours too! read more

This is supposed to be one of the better preschools & we had high expectations. They unfortunately just stopped caring, especially when my son moved to the older toddler class. Their ratio is a joke. High turnover. Food menu kept getting worse. Infant & young toddler classes were okay, still had issues like losing his belongings even with them labeled, some young inexperienced teachers but they kept him safe & clean & kept us posted on daily activities. They delayed his transition to next class by months because of capacity. Once he moved to older toddler, it went downhill. There were multiple incidents where he came home in bumps & scratches not accounted for. When I asked about 3 of them, they literally had no idea how it happened. They didn't do an incident report & claimed maybe another child hit him over a toy but they didn't witness anything. They blame the incidents on my 22 month old child for being "very energetic" Literally after telling me that his behavior is completely normal for his age. There's barely any communication from the older toddler teacher. She doesn't know the answer to most of my questions regarding his care, doesn't reply to most messages. They are lazy with toilet training & are the only daycare I spoke with that promotes pull-ups. We had to beg every week to get the lesson plan which most of the activities on aren't even labeled or described. They kept him dirty in the same outfit all day full of spills & dirt & paint despite us providing bibs & when I expressed concern, they said they only change them if they soil themselves/spill. Seriously? It took me 3 different conversations & having to get the owner involved to get him at least in a clean outfit. They kept his face dirty, & his diaper had mulch in it & exacerbated his eczema. There's barely any grass in the playground, just mulch & dirt, so he got scrapes & dirt & bug bites. Biting & handling it/having appropriate policies is a major issue in this school. No real repercussions for families with children who bite numerous times. They do workshops & educate but after multiple biting incidents from the same child who also bit other children, no action taken. I understand children bite at this age but Every time I expressed concerns, I get the same answer of education/rewarding good behavior. They don't carefully watch the children. It's apparent on video surveillance. They never escalated the issue. & when I did escalate it, the answer I got from the owner, Gizem, was maybe my family would be happier with a nanny or home day care. I had to take my son to the doctor for the last bite as it was pretty bad & he needed antibiotics for another one. The owner always gets defensive & blames every issue on the children or the parents, never her staff or their shortcomings. I never got a single apology since he started there. She is cold & has excuses for everything & ignores questions. There comes a point where you can't compromise anymore on your child's care & safety. It's sad because a lot of the earlier teachers truly loved him & most of them knew him by name even the ones who don't directly teach him. A lot of the teachers are exclusively Spanish speaking & they are all sweet. However, there's a language barrier. It's very difficult sometimes to communicate or ask any questions. read more

Amazing school!! We are so happy we found "The Cary School." My daughter has been here since she was about 8 months old and is about to be 2 years old. She loves it! The staff is amazing and super friendly! They treat the children like they are there own children. My daughter really enjoys the food and her classmates. She is learning so much! I moved very far from the school but I refuse to go to any other school as I have never been to another school that is as friendly and dedicated to teaching the children. I have also never seen such and amazing, hard working director ever. She is always there and is always happy and friendly. Gizem, Cigdem, Eddie, Giovanna, Yuko, both Megan's, Nermain, Nora, Maryalina, Jessica, Mary and her co-teacher are truly, truly amazing! You are all the reason why we continue to attend "The Cary School." Keep up the amazing work and smiles!!!! read more