SCAM ALERT! This daycare (the Kirkwood location) will lead you on and tell you they will likely…read morehave a spot, coercing you into paying their application fee and "non-reimbursable" first week of tuition ($400). When it comes time for your child to enroll, they will say they either don't have a spot, tell you a have a spot way past when you need it, or tell you there's a spot but it's a week before you need to begin so you've already found back-up care. You will be out over $400. AVOID AT ALL COSTS! THE DETAILS: We virtually toured Strictly Pediatrics in May 2021 and were told it looked "promising" to get into the daycare in March/early April 2022 because there were "not many families on the waitlist." Because we knew we would have to pay a non-refundable $400 to put our name on the waitlist, we asked again in June 2021 for an update. We had to inquire three times to get an update and they finally called us back a month later to let us know we'd "likely" get in during our time frame. So, we paid the application fee ($75) and the first week of tuition ($325) - with the understanding that it was non-refundable, but we were hopeful since we were told we had a very good chance of getting in. When we paid the $400, we were told the next step was to call after our daughter was born and we'd be told where we were on the waitlist. So we did that, and I had to call three times and send two emails in November and December 2021 to get a response from the day care. They told us that they didn't know if our daughter could start in March/April 2022 yet. We don't have family in the area. We had put our names on other daycare waitlists but they were transparent about where we fell on the list - Strictly Pediatrics seemed to be our best hope. When our maternity and paternity leave was ending, we were panicking (naturally). We called and emailed Janice on January 31, February 6, and February 14. At this point, we were two weeks out from when we'd ideally need care and we couldn't get a hold of ANYONE. What kind of daycare doesn't answer their phones!? We did not hear back from Janice until March 4 - after spending the entire month of February trying to get an update - and all of a sudden she claimed she had a spot, but not until April 22. We were obviously very upset. However, we thought since they couldn't get us in at the time we asked for NINE MONTHS prior - especially after leading us on - they might be nice and refund us our first week of tuition back ($325). WRONG! It became cear at this point that this place is trying to just milk parents for money by making false promises and avoiding their calls. We hope to get the media involved with this, but do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS SCAM!

My daughter, now two years old, has attended here since she was 9 months old. I cannot express how…read moremuch I love this location, the staff, and the teachers within. Their kindness and caring for my child has won my loyalty 100x over.

Little Sunshine Playhouse-University City provides a warm, engaging, and well-run environment for…read morechildren. The staff is welcoming, diverse, professional, and genuinely nurturing. The school balances structure with fun, offering creative themes and activities that keep children excited to learn. From the beginning, the environment has felt intentional, secure, and thoughtfully designed for kids. Our family enrolled our daughter in August 2025. Before that, she stayed home full-time until age two and was very much a "stage 5 Velcro baby." The transition was emotional at first, especially at drop-off, but the growth we've seen since then has been incredibly encouraging. She now confidently gives hugs goodbye, happily says "bye-bye," and walks into her classroom with ease. She genuinely enjoys school and is happy during pick-up, which gives us peace of mind. There have been a few instances where we needed to remind staff to clean our child's face, hands, or nose after meals or messy play, as well as change her into clean clothes when needed. Parents are asked to provide at least two sets of weather-appropriate spare clothes for this purpose, and on occasion, changes were not made as promptly as we would have preferred. There have also been times when personal items were misplaced. That said, staff consistently communicated with us, made genuine efforts to locate items, and worked to improve. We understand that managing multiple toddlers and their belongings is a common challenge in any preschool setting. What matters to us is that concerns are taken seriously and addressed, which has been our overall experience here. Leadership has been a major strength. Ms. Katelyn, the Director, played a large role in our decision to choose LSP. As parents who were understandably nervous, she spent significant time with us before enrollment, both on the phone and in person, explaining the school's philosophy, operations, safety measures, and procedures. She remains approachable, responsive, and consistently kind. Ms. Lucy, the Assistant Director, is equally welcoming, knowledgeable, and easy to communicate with. Staff shout-outs: Ms. Amanda, a head teacher, is exceptionally friendly, caring, and highly creative. Her warmth and creativity are evident throughout the school. Mr. Daniel is upbeat, professional, and consistently friendly during evening pick-ups. Ms. Alina, another head teacher, is more reserved and has a straightforward, businesslike communication style. Her creativity is visible in school projects and displays. Ms. Niya, our child's current lead teacher, met with us prior to enrollment, gave us a full tour of the school and playground, and offered reassurance during the transition. She is warm, attentive, and a strong educator. Ms. Victoria, Ms. Sabrina, Ms. Jaela, Ms. Wafae, Ms. Nabila, and Ms. Cassie have all been kind, professional, and attentive in their roles. Communication is excellent. Phones are always answered, and messages through the app are returned promptly, usually within the hour. When concerns are raised, leadership responds quickly and respectfully. The school is clean, beautifully decorated, and secure. Drop-off and pick-up are smooth, classroom ratios are followed, and security measures (controlled entry, cameras, and app communication) are strong. Meals and snacks are included, hours are 6:30 AM-6 PM, and nap time is well-structured and age-appropriate. One important note for families is cost. It's expensive. Little Sunshine Playhouse is on the higher end and is priced as a premium program. Overall, our family is very happy with Little Sunshine Playhouse-University City and would confidently recommend it to families seeking a safe, nurturing, and enriching environment for their child.

I would not recommend this school/daycare…read more The amount of turnover is ridiculous. You never know who will be watching your child from day to day. Leadership will move your children around to accommodate state requirements for staffing, so children are moved up before they are ready so new students can be added to the program. Your child is not a child, they are a dollar sign.

I have to repost this because somehow my previous review was deleted by somebody…read more I do not post this review lightly or with malice but I feel as a parent I should make sure our experience is represented for others seeking to use this school. Our initial experience with the school was very positive. About 6 months after our start we had both teachers change in our classroom. We didn't think much of it as we were sold on the process and learning paths the school offered were the difference. Our newly 3 year old at this point started receive a lot more "feedback" on things going on at school. These were mostly things around not lining up when coming in from playground, not sitting down when told to during story time and having trouble coming in from outside playtime. Our initial thoughts were that this is something they would work on at school and we would reenforce at home....Then we got requests to come in for "parent teacher conferences" this is something we came in during work hours multiple times to do. We took on our part to try to reenforce lessons from home into school while they gave some activities they would do but we were never provided with any comprehensive plan or any real followup on how they were working in school to help "correct" her. All incidents through these months were all non-violent and only about not following exact instructions around when to lay down or go out. She is only 3 years old. After a few weeks they decided to start sending home a journal of every "incident" forcing the teachers to fill out this daily and checking in on us that we were reading it and bringing it home everyday. At this point they were just calling "leadership" every time she did something they did not like or she was not conforming to the current activity. We had been doing our best at home but these things were mostly happening at school. This came to a head a few months later as we did our best to meet these unrealistic expectations from the leadership of the school for a little human who was only 3 and doing her best to understand their very specific requirements. At this point she started becoming scared and sad to go to school and told us she had been hit by another kid. We brought these concerns to the school and were told that the hitting was "being handled". Once we made this compliant within a few weeks we had been told that suddenly her incidents were escalating and she was crying uncontrollably during activities that had been much easier before, nap, switching activities she wanted to continue and such. This was very out of character for us and we again made very strong complaints about how there had been no followup to the earlier incidents and no plan of action in the class or to her individually to help with this. I guess this was our mistake. After that we were told within a week that they intended to send her home for any incident that they considered disruptive, which they did one day later. So I started going to school 3 times a day to help checkin and make sure she understands what was expected for half a week. The first day I did not go in multiple times (after getting a glowing report from her teacher and positive input about her attitude) I was called and told to pick her up because she had another "incident". This was our last day. I am sure their brand of child education works for some but I put this review out to make sure parents who see these warning signs don't wait as long as we did. Don't have to have a child asking if they are "bad" and start apologizing almost constantly to us. She was put in a new school and after a week of the teachers there helping her get over this she was able to start accepting quiet time and safety rules around the playground with no problems. I want to be clear that we did like our new teachers and think they were doing the best they could. This was a complete failure of what they call their "leadership" team who seem to be more concerned with passing blame to us as the child than leading any efforts to find healthy resolutions to a 3 year old.

We love Primrose! My kids started just before they turned three and it has been fantastic. The…read morecommunication is very good. My kids eat better/healthier at school than at home for the kitchen makes everything fresh. They work hard to include all cultures and holidays. And as someone who has a lot of anxiety around storms and tornadoes their FEMA grade storm shelter means I know they are in the safest place and well taken care of. The front staff is beyond fantastic with names and faces. We had a family emergency and a family friend had to pick up as the other contacts we had were out of town. And though she had been there a few times and they still asked for her ID to verify what I told them they immediately recognized her. The peace of mind knowing my kids are in a place that is safe, clean, with staff that loves and cares for them is priceless.

CAC Montessori was a truly wonderful place for our son away from home. He loved going every day,…read moremade friends, and grew into a confident and curious little learner. The teachers were warm, caring, and deeply invested in the children's growth and well-being. We're incredibly grateful for the love, care, and guidance they provided, which gave him such a strong foundation as he transitioned into kindergarten.

My son loves Centre at Conway. The teachers are great and very communicative. They do a bunch of…read morefun activities, have great hours so we can get full work days in, and provide all meals and snacks. The location is also convenient being right off the highway at 141. Would definitely recommend!

This is a day-care Of a lot of stuff The food is good I like…read moreit because it's a good thing to play with. We eat and more! Great start! Thank you Ms Ashley

Both of my children have gone here, very happy with staff and quality of care. We recommend to all…read moreour friends.

The staff are wonderful people! They are very kind and caring towards their students.read more

First week and they are on it. They truly love and understand children. My 3 year old is brilliant…read morebut he has challenges socializing and it's created problems at KinderCare. Within the first week they got my little boy shining his true colors and brought back his confidence. Love them so much! Ms Emma you are a rockstar and Ms Heather thank you for all you do!

My two sons are in their second year at Ethical Society Nursery School and we could not be happier…read morewith our experience. The play-based learning structure combined with talented, nurturing teachers has resulted in so many positive developmental strides in my children. They have made great friends and it's become our home away from home. With affordable tuition and an amazing community, this is seriously the best preschool in the Ladue / Clayton / U City area!

So thankful for this cozy, caring, wonderful school. Our daughter is so happy to go to school every…read moremorning. We've made wonderful friendships with parents and kids and staff alike. Thank you ESNS for being reasonably priced, flexible, and welcoming. We're so thankful for our second home

Overrated and over priced. This school has made a turn for the worse. The current director only…read morecares about her image. She does not do anything to help out the staff or the children. She has left a single teacher with 17 four year olds when the ratio is 1:10 (Missouri law) for hours... WHILE THE DIRECTOR AND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR DID NOTHING. Both were fully aware of the situation and they both were able to stop what they were doing to help. The place is a revolving door or teachers. Please don't take your children here. Keep them happy and safe.

Just wanted to thank all the teachers and staff for caring so much for our son for the first 6…read moreyears of his life. During this Covid times we are living in, his teachers still managed to focus on fun learning. He can now read and spell short words and do simple math. He will have no problems in kinder-garten this fall with all your efforts. Thank you, Bill Weishaar