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~

I like the staff they're friendly and care about the children & my son's personality has changed…read moredrastically..

The staff at Little Sprouts in Dedham is fantastic!!…read more Dropping off your 3 month old when you are back to work from maternity leave is very hard and they made the transition much easier on a new mom. The infant teachers are wonderful. They are very loving and take great care of my infant daughter as evidenced by how well she has adjusted there. It's not just a "daycare", it's a school for little ones. My daughter already has art work on our fridge. They make sure she is stimulated in a loving environment. They were really put to the test when an emergency situation arose this winter with a snowy roof that led to an evacuation. The teachers and administrators of this school were stellar. Their response time and ability to keep all the kids safe, warm, and happy was amazing. Now being in their new facility they have the whole package. The new building is bright and cheery and very welcoming. The administrators of this school are also very eager to hear from you and quick to respond to any concerns and they welcome the feedback. Overall we are very happy with our choice to send our daughter to Little Sprouts in Dedham.

NOT SAFE FOR TODDLERS During the tour in May of 2023,…read moreeverything seemed calm and put together. I witness the toddlers quietly enjoying a snack and they all seemed fairly happy. During the registration process, the director was very slow to respond. A week before our son's first day, I still didn't know who his teachers would be, what he should bring to school (lunch, snacks, bedding, lovey), or which classroom he would be in. This was all very unsettling. When I walked in on his second day, it was complete chaos in the front area. Pre-k children were running all over the place playing while the toddlers (some as young as just 15 mo) were mixed in with Pre-K and looked completely scared. Come to find out that it is illegal to mix those groups together or at the very least, you need a special license. By the third day, I still wasn't told who my son's teachers were so I opted to pick him up early. I was horrified to see that a pre-k teacher (who didn't know my son or my son's name) had given him a twizzler as a snack and was sitting in front of a tv screen watching Finding Nemo. My son was only 17 mo old at the time. Candy is considered a choking hazard and we don't allow screens for him at all. No one asked our permission for him to watch the movie and no one knew of his dietary restrictions because no one had introduced me to his teachers. Not to mention the fact that this goes against all the marketing materials that you're given. The place is a hot mess. The marketing materials that they give you are a complete lie. The turn over for the toddler rooms is higher than average and from what I witness, it's NOT SAFE. The director is extremely disorganized, doesn't know what her teachers do on a day to day basis and provides little to no communication with parents. Needless to say, WE REMOVED OUR SON FROM THEIR CARE AFTER THE THIRD DAY. Of course I reached out to the 1800 number and explained my story. Again, I was given false promises. I was told: -That I could enroll my son at a different location, at the same price as Knoweldge Beginnings, Westwood. That never happend. -I was told that I would be speaking to the district VP about how Knowledge Beginnings was being run. That never happened. Essentially, all promises made to me over the phone by the district manager were never upheld. That pales in comparison to how little Knowledge Beginnings cares for their toddlers and doesn't not offer the care that is described in their marketing materials. From one concerned parent to another, do not take your children there.

I have two children, ages 4.5 and 16mos, who have both attended the Westwood Knowledge Beginnings…read moresince they were 3 months old. It has been a great experience for them overall. Our girls have thrived in that environment, much due to the nurturing staff and just the right balance of academic focus and self-directed play. Our eldest child is quite prepared for kindergarten at this point but still has another year before she starts in public school! The staff is quite experienced, many of them having worked at the center for 5+ years and who also bring their own children to the location. Maryellen and Stacey, the Director and Associate Director respectively, are attentive to the needs of the children and their families while continuously guiding the staff toward excellence; recently demonstrated through achieving National accreditation. Some perceived drawbacks to this center might be: the location - Rt 1 can be quite busy and the parking lot is not huge, but the location was quite convenient for us and we've rarely had a problem with parking. Snacks are provided but lunches are not included in the cost of tuition- this suits our picky eaters! And the center has recently partnered with a company called Smart Lunches to provide meals for purchase. We absolutely recommend this center to families seeking a caring place where their children will blossom and grow.

SPNS is truly the best! My son would run in everyday with a smile on his face. The teachers are…read moretruly amazing and the same goes for the community of families and students that attend. As a parent I feel it's the perfect mix of learning and play. Honestly can't say enough good things about this school- so happy with our decision to attend! My son has since graduated but I'm both eager and excited to be sending my daughter as soon as she turns 2.9 in a few months, I know she will be in great hands!

My son has made amazing progress during his time at SPNS, and we are very happy with our experience…read moreduring the last two years. The teachers are outstanding--they go above and beyond to engage the students in meaningful play and learning. The school community is welcoming and highly involved. My son loves going to school every day, and we will miss SPNS when he goes to kindergarten. Highly recommend!

This day care is great. I was so nervous about sending my 2 year old son with autism there. The…read moredirector Maura is great the first thing she said was whatever she can do to help his growth she will. Not to mention the same teachers that taught my twins 12 years ago was still there. If you are looking for a daycare that provides love, education, transportation, and of course they feed the kids healthy food all day long. New beginnings academy is the way to go.

From the owner: The purpose of New Beginnings Academy is to offer a safe haven in a deeply troubled world. We teach…read morestrong ethical values and morals while allowing our students to remain children. New Beginnings Academy teaches that a pure heart is what pleases God.

My daughter attended this school and I could not have been happier with the staff @ the school…read more They were professional, nuturing towards the children and maintained order in the classroom.

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.

This is a wonderful educational daycare run by people who love what they do! My 3 year-old daughter…read morehas been going there for the past year and she loves it. They do arts & crafts, music, reading, go to the playground, learn the alphabet, etc. A testament to how clean they are: she has yet to get sick! I know it's inevitable that kids get sick at daycare (she was always sick at her previous daycare!), so that's a pretty impressive feat. I highly recommend this place, not only for the quality of care, but for the very affordable cost. Can't be happier thanks to the Small Steps team!

This preschool is so wonderful. About 2 years ago I was looking for a preschool for my son, I saw…read morethis one and the location was extremely convenient for me but I also searched what other pre-schools in the area had to offer. Small steps center is awesome. I love everything from the staff, the kids and even the parents are always so welcoming when dropping of and picking up my son. My son had a nanny prior to going to this school and did not really talk or was great around kids. Shortly after being enrolled his speech improved and his learning abilities. He does not get homework as he is in the pre-k class, but I will usually ask him what they learned that day and will take time to go over additional things with him on what was covered that week. He Loves all the teachers and I love them too. The have a very diverse staff that loves kids which is one of the most important. The director of the school is Mrs. Joy and she is also wonderful. This is definitely a great place to start if your looking for a Pre-school, I'm looking forward to him being in the other classroom next year as I believe it will challenge him a lot more.