I absolutely love the First Friends program and staff! My daughter was 4 and needed a last minute…read morepreschool change so she started First Friends with one month left in the spring semester 2023. Everyone was so welcoming including the parents! Ms. Lois is truly amazing and I finally felt truly comfortable that my daughter was safe and in a nurturing environment compared to previous centers. The class size is small and I like the daily report at the end of the day. They make cute projects to make learning interesting. She enjoyed her one month so much there so I enrolled her in summer camps right after and she completed one full yr Fall '23 to Spring '24 until it was time for elementary school. She made so many friends and still keeps in touch with some even after entering a different school. She gained so much confidence and a great educational foundation that I believe helped her easily transition to kindergarten. I truly recommend this preschool!

I have a 2 year old son and a 1 year old daughter who has attended First Friends since she was 6…read moremonths old. It is great for kids, great for moms, and my husband loves how much the kids are flourishing there. I researched many Parent's day out programs in Houston, before deciding on First Friends and I am SO glad I did! My kids are so happy and thriving in this program. The teachers are nice, experienced, patient, and passionate about the kids. I love that I get a daily report on how their day was and the teachers are very communicative. The director is always at the door to greet parents at drop off and pick up and she is very involved. I am just so happy with this program. It is safe, clean, and my kids so happy every time they go, even more they are learning and gaining great social skills. They do so many activities that help with fine motor skills, gross motor skills, and they do so many crafts I'm amazed! From comments I have heard from other Mom friends it's seems that other MDO programs are more concerned with tuition than the kids and parents, that is not the case at First Friends. If you are looking for a MDO program check out First Friends you won't be disappointed! Your kids will love it and you will have peace of mind that they are safe and happy. All the other First Friends moms rave about the program and I have not heard anyone have any complaints! Most parents have had multiple kids go through the program. It is established and has a great reputation. I am so happy we found this school!

Our son joined CHMS in 2024 at the age of 3, and we couldn't be happier with our choice. Don't…read morejudge this daycare by its location! Once you step inside, you'll see the environment is beautiful, welcoming, and clearly designed with children in mind. One of its advantages is that children aren't confined to the same classroom all day. They have access to different spaces where they can explore, play, and learn, and they also spend time with children of different ages, which helps them develop socially. The teachers are exceptional (shout out to Miss Olga, Miss B, Mis Cha Cha, Miss Renee, Mis Naiely...). Every day they come up with thoughtful, creative activities that make learning fun and keep the children engaged. You can tell how much time, dedication, and love goes into everything they do. Our son started here without speaking a single word of English. Thanks to the patience, kindness, and encouragement of his teachers, he not only learned the language but also felt safe, happy, and at home from day one. He was genuinely excited to go to school every morning, and as parents, that's the greatest recommendation we can give. Now he is really sad to go. Thank you Miss Laura for everything you've done for our kid! Now its time to go to big kids school :)

I don't know if I can quite put into words how much we love CHMS! My daughter started going here…read morewhen she was 1 and stayed until it was time for her to head off to kindergarten, and now she's back there for the summer! CHMS feels like family. I know how much Ms. Laura and the teachers love my daughter, and my daughter loves them, too. They go above and beyond to make CHMS a special place to learn and have fun. I'm so grateful that I found CHMS, because my daughter absolutely thrived there and was more than prepared for entry into kinder. I love our CHMS family!

We sent our two boys here for preschool and they've completely loved the experience. Mrs. Carla has…read morebeen a wonderful teacher. Two years later, and now our youngest will be headed to kindergarten in fall. Leaving the faculty will be sad for all of us, they are like family. They have worked relentlessly in preparing both for Kindergarten.

We've been taking our little girl here for two months now and absolutely love it! The teachers…read moregenuinely care about her and are very active with her. She's in the infant class and they are constantly working with her fine motor and social skills. They have nicknames for her and give us a detailed report at the end of the day. She's always come home happy and in a good mood, albeit a little tired from so much stimulation for a 5 month old, but it's all great things! There are no classroom cameras for parents, which we actually like. I know id be checking on her constantly throughout the day, so I appreciate that aspect. They also do not post pictures of our baby online, which I LOVE. She is too small for social media. We will happily continue to send our little one here.

As a parent of a small child, we were looking for a school where our son would be part of a…read morewelcoming, diverse community; where his curiosity and independence would be nurtured; and where he would be beloved by his teachers and adults. St. Stephen's ticked all our boxes and then some. We love the Montessori curriculum and it has been a really wonderful place for us as a family.

Great school. Great people. Wonderful community. Worth considering for personalized learning for…read moretoddlers - 8th grade.

We couldn't be happier with our experience at Poe Cooperative Nursery School. Like many parents, I…read morewas nervous about sending my child into a new environment. Handing them off to someone else felt overwhelming, but Poe made that transition feel less like a leap and more like joining a big, supportive family. Being welcomed into the classroom and getting to be an active participant in my child's learning has been such a gift. Parent helper days are a highlight of our month. It's such a joy to get to know all of the children and see how my child interacts with their friends and teachers in a new setting. The teachers are warm, nurturing, and deeply engaged. This was my son's first time outside of our home and they were excellent at gently guiding him through a new environment. They somehow manage to balance calm structure with joyful chaos, and they treat each child like a whole person. The play-based curriculum encourages creativity, exploration, and a lot of wonderfully messy learning, which we absolutely love. We also love the emphasis on outdoor time. The kids are outside climbing, running, digging, and trying to smuggle home their new pet bugs. It has been amazing for their energy, imagination, and general happiness, although our car has become a bit of a mobile nature preserve. The classroom garden has given my son a love of a fresh picked green bean, although I am not sure he left any to be harvested! The sense of community at Poe is something truly special. Families genuinely get to know each other, and there is a shared feeling of we are in this together. We have loved all of the opportunities for us to engage either through family gatherings at the school, or the welcoming invitations to weekend meet ups and park play dates. We are incredibly grateful to be part of such a thoughtful, fun, and caring environment.

We knew we wanted to find a co-op preschool for our daughter but never imagined we'd find such an…read moreamazing school so close to home. Poe Co is an absolute GEM!!! The teachers are incredible, dedicated imaginative educators who pride themselves on making learning fun for their students and tailoring the curriculum to their students specific learning and developmental needs. The small class size really allows for the time and attention needed to help the kids be able to learn together while allowing for customized teaching moments to make sure they have the skills and knowledge they'll need to step into elementary school. My daughter has grown socially and learned so much this year, I can't say enough good things about this preschool. They bake from scratch, garden, splash in the rain, ride trikes, play in the mud kitchen, build crazy block structures and play in the pretend zone daily. This school is a dream.

I recently made one of your employees (Maci) aware of a personal situation involving emotional and…read morephysical abuse that I experienced from someone she considers a friend. While I understand and respect that personal relationships can influence perspectives, I was surprised and concerned by her response, which indicated that she aligned with her friend's actions. My concern is not that she chose not to become involved in a personal matter, but rather the lack of empathy and support shown in response to a report of abuse. As someone who holds a leadership position within a school environment, I would have expected a more compassionate response, or at the very least guidance toward appropriate resources and support services. Her response left me questioning whether the values reflected in that interaction are consistent with those promoted by the school. It is troubling to think that an individual entrusted with the well-being and development of students might respond similarly to a child, parent, or other individual reporting a concerning situation. I fully understand that she may have wished to remain neutral or avoid involvement due to her personal connection. However, expressing support for or alignment with actions involving emotional or physical abuse raises serious concerns regarding judgment, empathy, and professional conduct. I felt it was important to bring this matter to your attention, as the interaction has left me deeply concerned about the values and standards that are expected of those representing your institution.

I love this daycare. If you are looking for childcare you won't go wrong here. The teachers are are…read morevery attractive and loving to the children.

My daughter was previously enrolled in two different daycares, both of which were difficult…read moreexperiences due to the lack of care from the caregivers. However, at Mariner Montessori at Galleria, she has had the happiest moments and a wonderful time. She is currently in the Infant 2 class, and her teachers are incredibly caring and loving. They always show genuine empathy for my baby's feelings, and I feel completely comfortable leaving her in their care. The growth and development I've seen in my daughter since she started with them has been remarkable - I'm amazed by her milestones every day. I'd like to extend a big thank you to Ms. Daniela, Ms. Ester, Ms. Moraima, Ms. Tania, and Ms. Alaguthayammal for all the love, care, and dedication they show my little one. I couldn't ask for a better environment for her!

As much as I wanted to like this school because of the initial tour (which is gonna be the only…read moretimes that you might ever see a director or the owners) and the proximity to us, the experience for us was disappointing on many levels. We left three years ago after several months of enrollment, yet I STILL have negative feelings about our time there and unfortunately, I continue to hear from others about some of the same issues. I was initially very enthusiastic about Mariner and even recommended it to two friends, both of whom stayed And were quite happy. In my case unfortunately, things did not work out and turned unpleasant quickly. In my son's class, one wonderful teacher left, followed shortly by the other. Within a short period of time, the class went from a teacher-to-child ratio of approximately 1:8 to 1:22 children. The replacement teachers who showed up over night were very young, no native English speakers and without credentials or experience I would expect from teachers responsible for so many young children. More concerning to me were the safety issues. On two occasions, my son came home with unexplained bruises. The second incident ultimately led me to withdraw. I received him back with a huge bruise, and no one at the school could explain how it happened! Two days later was then told that he 'had a habit of rubbing his head against the carpet'--something he had never seen before and I have never seen since. During my meeting with the director, it became obvious that someone was not watching my son and he got injured, but they were not clear about how it happened. Do not send your child here! We immediately withdrew and while Ms Jenny and Ms Pat handled the situation courteously and refunded tuition and deposit without delays, the experience left me deeply concerned. During the time my son was enrolled, there was also an extraordinary amount of staff turnover. Several teachers who had left stayed in touch with us and told us they had left because of poor working conditions and low pay ($13/hr). There was also a woman at the front door (Ms Jessica 2021-2023) who was consistently rude and made morning drop-off unpleasant for families. She was eventually replaced only after she moved to New York. Another thing that always bothered me was the overwhelming smell of cleaning chemicals. I understand and appreciate the importance of cleanliness, but my son would often come home smelling strongly of Fabuloso. It was so strong that I found myself wondering whether the school was relying too heavily on chemicals rather than using more thorough cleaning methods such as deep or steam cleaning. I genuinely dreaded that smell when I picked him up. To make a long story short, there are better options out there. After leaving Mariner Montessori, we enrolled our son at Children's Village in West University, and our experience there was absolutely wonderful year after year. Mariner Montessori was a very difficult experience for us, and unfortunately, even years later, I still have not forgotten it. I heard a similar concerns from another parent, and finally decided it was important to share my experience as well. I hope this helps other families make an informed decision. Each school has their pros and cons.