My two year old started at Encounter a few months ago. I was anxious about the transition to…read moredaycare because the decision to enroll my daughter came quickly and after some unexpected schedule changes. My daughter adapted relatively fast due to having so much fun throughout the day. She loves her teachers and is excited to play with her friends. The photo updates are so much fun to receive and are good conversation starters when I pick her up. I am grateful for Encounter. The staff is professional, communicative, and loving. My daughter is happy and I am happier. I am at ease knowing my daughter is being well cared for and is also having the greatest time.

My two-year-old has been going to Encounter for about 6 months, and I am surprised to see how well…read morehe is doing. I hate to say this, but I feel like sometime he even enjoys the school more than home... He was having a pretty bad separation anxiety when we sent him to another daycare before, he has been to that daycare for about 3 months, and literally he cried EVERYTIME when he was there. But not with encounter! You know your kids are in good hands, and what I really like about encounter is they respect the potential of every kid, and I always agree that "Education should develop individuality not conformity", especially in early education! I feel that Encounter is doing a great job at this~ We are so glad and appreciated to have Encounter in our neighborhood! And I am sure my boy will have a lot more beautiful childhood memories here~

We've sent two boys through Mrs. Perry's Preschool in the last 3 years (one of them is still…read moreattending and will be there again next year). It's been a wonderful experience both for the boys and for us. Mrs. Perry taught in the Norwood school system for decades and her experience definitely shows. From the physical layout of the school to the curriculum, everything is very organized. The entire staff of teachers are amazing. They are able to perfectly blend learning with the social aspects of preschool. Mrs. Casey, Mrs O'Keefe and Mrs Shaw are all great at handling the day to day challenges that can arise with kids this age and we trust them completely. I can't overstate that - we have complete trust in all the teachers. Pick up and drop off are done by lining up the cars in the driveway and waiting until the staff come to the gate before you take your kids out of the car. This way there are never vehicles moving at the same time as the children. In the morning, parents walk the children up to the gate where the staff take them inside and in the afternoon, the staff keep the children inside the gate until the parents walk up to get them. When the first group of parents leave, the second group of cars can pull up to drop off or pick up. Very safe, very efficient. The 3 year old classes are Tuesday and Thursday, 4 year old classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 9am to 1pm. The kids have a snack in the morning and eat lunch at school. During the school year they will do arts and crafts projects that will help them learn every letter and number. They read stories and sing songs, and generally learn to socialize with classmates and follow directions from their teachers. There is usually at least one​ field trip a year, which is great for the parents and the kids. There are plenty of activities for indoor play including a train table, a play kitchen, dolls, a lego activity table and more. When the weather is nice enough to play outside, there is a playground and a grassy/astroturf area surrounded by a concrete track for the kids to ride bigwgeels around. I just can't say enough good things about Mrs Perry's Preschool and highly recommend checking it out.

They don't follow guidelines. They also understaff. I was shocked to find a door out to the parking…read morelot with no lock or child safety lock either. Avoid at all costs. Owner is more interested in their fleet of cars than child enrichment. Or even safety

Our son is very fortunate to have grown up with the Scalliwags class and be exposed to so many…read morelearning experiences.

If I could give Boston Outdoor Preschool Network 100 stars, I absolutely would. This school has…read morebeen so much more than just a place of learning, it has been a true family for me and my two daughters. As a single mom, finding a supportive, nurturing, and enriching environment for my children was essential, and BOPN gave us exactly that and so much more. From the incredible administration and passionate founders to the caring, dedicated teachers and the wonderful families who make up the community, every single person involved in this school is extraordinary. There is a warmth, authenticity, and deep commitment to the well-being and growth of every child, and every parent, that you simply don't find everywhere. My girls have not only flourished academically and socially, but they've also developed a deep love for nature, exploration, and learning through play. Every day was filled with joy, wonder, and connection. The values of empathy, curiosity, and community are woven into everything they do. Boston Outdoor Preschool Network truly became our village, and I will always be grateful for the love and support we received here. If you're looking for a school that nurtures the whole child and wraps your family in care, this is it.

Just had very mediocre interactions with this group as an interested and prospective family. The…read morecommunication was poor, the waitlists were long, no real communication to tell you where things stand. Felt like we were interacting with high school camp counselors. If it's anything like the way they actually run the school would not recommend at all.

We removed our child mid-year due to concerns we felt we were not addressed adequately…read more I was very transparent and forthcoming during the enrollment process, but I do not feel that was reciprocated. I would have made a different decision. Ultimately, leaving was the best decision in our case. Particularly if you have a 2E student, I would not recommend this setting.

Their summer program has changed. It's shorter and doesn't have the same classes. When I called I…read morespoke to someone who told me things that were not supported the content on the website. Disturbing in and if itself. I've been watching their website since last year when my son indicated his favorite counselors said they would not be back next year when they said their goodbyes. There was no new content on their site as of January and when things changed there was just a splash screen pointing you somewhere else. On the advice of a friend and fellow parent of two campers we have signed up somewhere else. Another one of our friends who signed up before talking to us has had a terrible experience with scheduling. There are only two week classes, not four as it has always been. Why would you pay the same for two duplicate sessions? Clearly there are changes happening but we never thought anything was broken and we are the ones writing the checks to someplace else.

We decided to withdraw our place at Goddard for our infant after we toured it. While we were…read morethere, we saw a teacher gruffly push the head of an infant back down after they woke up. We were deeply concerned by this and shared our feedback with the management. They reacted dismissively to our feedback. It was an easy decision for us to not move forward despite losing our full $3,000 deposit and having to scramble to find alternative childcare.

I can't say enough about what the Goddard School has done for our family…read more In our previous center, We were told my son was a "problem and "what are we going to do with him." At one point, I dropped him off and I went to pick him up 5 minutes later. I couldn't. And I searched for another center. Our son started in a room on the cusp of the younger kids because of his speech and social development. He fell in love with one teacher, Kelly. She (and Goddard!) saw what we saw in Vincent. Goddard helped Vincent learn to love school. He's now in pre-k and loves all of the teachers, friends and now learning. He loves animals, math, writing, asked when he can start reading, and surprises us every day! My son is in speech through the Belmont Public Schools and needed an evaluation to assess the whole picture of his education. After the school visited Goddard, they expressed their approval of Ms Kim and Ms Nicole in their control in the classroom (even with some high energy little boys-- my son being one of them :)) and what love they had for teaching. I know he'll excel in kindergarten! My daughter loved every second of everything. Goddard brought out the best in her and created life long friendships! She loves to go pick up brother and say hi to all of the staff, teachers and friends. It's a place you'll always feel welcome! We'll be sad to leave Goddard this summer and recommend to anyone and everyone. The owners truly care about not only the success of Goddard, but every individual student and staff. It shows in everything at Goddard!

We couldn't be happier with this school. The academics are very strong, my kids absolutely LOVE…read morelearning, and I have watched them develop over the last three years at the school into truly independent and curious learners. (Super A+ for music and Spanish and sports departments too!) Thank you!

We entered our girls into Thacher in the upper elementary school (grades 4-6) this past fall. While…read moreone of our daughters is having a very positive experience, our other daughter has been having a less positive one. She has dyslexia along with some other learning issues, which we made very clear to the school during our application. Her teacher, Amy Smith, seems both unwilling and unable to work with students who don't learn in the normal fashion. Amy has been very difficult to work with: she doesn't communicate well and she doesn't follow through on things she says she'll do. With the exception of one administrator, the school has been completely unsupportive of us and our issues. We will be withdrawing both our daughters from the school next year. I would recommend Thacher upper grades for students who are bright, quick, and self-motivated learners. If your child isn't all of those, I would highly discourage you from choosing Thacher. Certainly if you run into problems, you won't find support from the administration. We were warned by a family who had a very similar issue last year. Their daughter was also dyslexic, also had Amy Smith, and also had a horrible experience with the administration. They withdrew their daughter mid-year (forfeiting their tuition) because their daughter was so miserable.

We've had such a wonderful experience with The Learning Experience Natick. The care, attention, and…read morewarmth from the entire team have made such a difference for our family. A special thank you to our infant room teacher, Ms Vivian -- she truly goes the extra mile every day and it shows in how happy and comfortable our little one is. That said, all of the teachers have been amazing, supportive, and genuinely caring. We also really appreciate the leadership from Alicia, the director. She is consistently respectful, responsible, kind, and clearly dedicated to creating a positive environment for both the children and families. And a big shout-out to Chef Jean as well -- so friendly and clearly loved by the kids! We're so grateful to be part of this community and couldn't recommend them more!