I absolutely love Ms. Manaly at The Learning Experience! I'm convinced she's part chef, part…read moresuperhero, and part toddler whisperer. She wears many hats and somehow manages to handle them all with professionalism, patience, and genuine love for the children. I can truly see her passion in everything she does, from preparing balanced meals for the infants and toddlers to nurturing and caring for each child as if they were her own. The kids light up around her, and honestly, I think my daughter Rain, might love her cooking more than her parents' home-cooked meals! It takes a special person to make sure little ones are fed well, cared for emotionally, and still keep a smile on their face all day. Ms. Manal is truly one of the hearts of TLE. Her warmth, kindness, and dedication do not go unnoticed. Please keep her forever because the kids would probably organize a toddler protest without her! Well done, Ms. Manal you are appreciated more than you know! Shaka

This childcare is awesome. The director Ms. Heather is very caring, and so knowledgeable, it is…read moreimpressive. The school is so clean, bright colors, and those characters on the wall are so cute. My son always has a smile and he is always happy to go every morning. This is a great place for your kiddos.

I have had two children go through the program from six months of age on. The teachers are…read morephenomenal. All have masters degrees and years of experience, but also truly care for and love your children. Just the right mix of nurture and education. Lots of flexibility in scheduling also, with early morning and extended day options.

When my wife and I moved to Richmond from Raleigh in 2010 in some ways it was like starting over…read more We had both lived in North Carolina for 17 & 14 years respectively and the change while welcomed presented many challenges, especially with 2 young children. One of the first things we did when we arrived was to seek out recommendations for a good pediatrician. From that point we had the amazing fortune of being given the contact information for Joan at Open Arms Christian Preschool by our children's new doctor. The pediatrician we ended up seeing knew that with a diagnosis of autism and being on the spectrum our son would be in great hands and care at Open Arms Christian Preschool. The nervousness we felt while driving to meet with Joan for an initial tour of the preschool was immediately forgotten as we were greeted with the kindest most genuine energy and welcome. Within 5 minutes of touring Open Arms we knew we had found the right place. In our time spent at Open Arms we had both of our kids enrolled. Even when we moved to Glen Allen after the first year I fixed my work schedule to be able to drive 40 minutes back and forth for drop off and pick up. Our oldest child is on the spectrum and has been diagnosed with autism. He is high functioning but to this day has sensory issues as well as social issues. Joan went above and beyond to work with us day in and day out, gave us guidance, put us in touch with different professionals and organizations and always made herself available. She was always a phone call away and as with any situation involving children the communication factor was key. There was even a point where an additional staff member was brought in to help. For all of these reasons my wife and I will forever be grateful. I could really go on and on raving about this preschool as we had a 4 year run there. There is not one negative thing I can say about our experience at Open Arms. If there was I would be honest and post it. There were times when we had reports come home about our oldest and quite frankly a few times where we thought, 'that's it they are going to ask us to leave'... but that never happened. And I believe the communication between the school and us was a vital part of our unique situation. Communication is always key. The tuition is very reasonable for what each family receives. Activities, special trips and guest 'speakers' just to name a few of the things which go on. Art comes home regularly and the kids are also in a true learning environment which is such a plus as they get ready to make the transition to elementary school. If I could give this preschool 10 stars I would. If I could give Joan and her amazing staff 10 stars I would. I have given Joan permission to give out my phone number to anyone who has parent to parent questions. We will be forever grateful for the foundation which Open Arms Christian Preschool has given both of our kids. And we will especially be forever grateful for the added support we received to help us set our first born and only son on the path to being able to deal with his autism related issues. While Open Arms was just one piece of the support chain we received it was a vital part which helped us truly make the difficult and important decisions about our situation without added stress. Without the positive reinforcement and guidance this would have been a much more difficult road for us. Reach out to Joan with any questions about this program. She is always eager and happy to meet and welcome new faces and families. Cheers! And thank you for reading my first novel! (sorry I got carried away...) -Michael Soekawa (yes my full name)

The post previously made is inaccurate and incorrect. We toured several schools and chose Open…read moreArms last September because of the attentiveness, love and professionalism of the teachers and Director. In January of last year, our son began having seizures - the first in his young 2 year old life. We were terrified and concerned about the present and future health, well-being and development of our child. Not only did the team at Open Arms show their love and support for us, but the families surround us with friendship and prayer! Our son Eli had a rough 4 months; spending over 80% of the time in the hospital. During that time, we received weekly emails and texts from the Director, Eli's teachers and parents checking in and asking how they could help. When Eli was stable enough to return, the entire team at Open Arms worked with us to give Eli a chance to come back to school - even part-time. I met with the Director, Joan Brennan, and his teachers regularly to discuss his development, areas of challenge and prognosis. They worked diligently to ensure that Eli had a supportive environment where he, and the other children, could thrive. They took care of our son and our entire family during one of the most traumatic times in our life. Eli has now been seizure free for several months and returned back to school full-time this year. Before starting the year, Joan and the teachers worked with my husband and I to determine where Eli might best thrive (in the older 2 or younger 3 classroom). They have walked with us over the last several months as we have evaluated his growth and development. During parent teacher conferences this week, his teachers shared with us areas of challenge for Eli and some options to help him thrive. While it is always tough to hear that your child may not be thriving and may need additional evaluation, the way that they lovingly and supportively discussed the challenges with me made me quickly aware that they were on our team. They wanted what was best for Eli's development and wanted to provide the right opportunities for he and the other children in the school. As a parent who is diligently involved in the well being of her child, I feel like I have a team of support at Open Arms. It is a community! I learned about Open Arms from a friend that entrusted the development of her two children to the school. Having now experienced the great support and student-to-teacher ratios she encountered, I have openly recommended the school to other families. Including families that have been dealing with issues such as epilepsy. While the school is not a school for children needing one-on-one shadowing or those with aggression and anger issues, it is a school for families that need a little extra support or those that simply want the best environment and greatest opportunity for the growth of their children. I love Open Arms and am saddened by the libelous comment below.

My son thoroughly enjoyed his time at Goddard Woodlake. As a parent, I was incredibly impressed…read morewith the organization, communication was remarkable. In a short time, my son learned SO much and he has been set up for success as he enters kindergarten. Finding Goddard Woodlake was truly a blessing to my Mama heart and made me feel comfortable and content with his care.

The Goddard school has been a saving Grace for us! The leadership team and staff are amazing. You…read morecan tell they appreciate and care about the people who work there, which directly reflects on the love and care they treat the kids with. Our daughter had an awful experience at another daycare, crying 4+ hours a day which we were told was as normal and part of the transition period. When we couldn't take it anymore the staff at Goddard took pity on us and it's been night and day. Our daughter loves her teachers and her friends in class. She's learned so much in such a short period of time. Every morning she runs to the front door yelling "go go go!" Because she's so excited to go to school and see her friends. I can't recommend this school enough!

Children are abused here. They are bitten, pinched, forced to sit in chairs, cursed at and…read moredegraded, they are threatened. The teachers know which kids they can do what to; for instance, they know where the cameras are, and they know the 1-2 year olds won't repeat threats. Management is complicit, and they turn their eyes to the abuse because they are afraid of their family-owned business being under scrutiny. One of the members of management told a one year old girl she needed to lay still so she could get her "pussy" cleaned. Kids are regularly told, "If you were my kid, you wouldn't sit down for a week," things like that. I reported the abuse but they did nothing because I didn't realize how widespread it was; multiple teachers laugh when a teacher is "fed up" and threatens a kid. They all do it. It is terrifying. These kids can't defend themselves, and they can't tell us that it's happening, but it is awful and they need help. ​

Great facility, great staff! Our son started as an infant, thankfully there was room for him at…read morethe time. The amount of words and knowledge he has learned over the years has been incredible and has pushed us as parents to continue to keep him ahead. Great work A Child's Place!

They lack site and sound supervision! Poor execution if services. They do not have a standard of…read moreprocedure. My child was bullied and harassed and I was asked to be patient. Kids and staff targeted my daughter and they did not provide a safe environment for her. When I asked for things to be reviewed they were not!! When my daughter defended herself they had a problem. In an incident where it was clearly documented and seen on the camera to show she did not hurt a child they still blamed her. Lack of motivation and consistency at their facilities is dangerous. Do not send your child or children to these centers. They need additional training. I'm a child therapist and I wish I hadn't been so patient. Avoid the damage that I wish I had avoided. Keep them safe by utilizing a better place to provide care.

Caring, loving, healthy and happy!! My kids preffer Kids World over the YMCA for their summer's and…read moreyoungest is ahead of the game as he heads into Kindgergarten thanks to the fabulous pre-k plan.

My great grandson attends here. He began his journey in January 2026. The undivided attention given…read morehim by the staff overwhelms our entire family. He absolutely enjoys the environment, the staff, and his "friends". Its not a faith based facility, but the establishment has truly answered our prayers for a caring, sensitive and nurturing environment.

My (g)daughter just started. She is a very excited 5 years old to attend school and I'll follow her…read morelead if she likes her Oma will. My 1st impression is that the facility is clean and the safety and security of the children are their priority. They provide all meals to ensure safety from allergies. No outside food allowed. Please speak with the staff if your child has special dietary requirements. The staff is professional. They greet you and speak professionally. I don't like to use the word friendly because this is a business and not my friend so kudos to them for maintaining professionalism. They follow the guidelines and don't deviate from them. That is the professionalism that will keep my (g)daughter safe. It's too soon to say how they treat the children in which I expect them to be friendly, kind, and empathetic. However, children are good judges of character, so I am sure if they don't like something they will say something The diversity in the children is here. They respect cultural values, so if you have any concerns let them know. First impressions great place to bring your children.

My two children are current students and we've loved our experience here. The teachers are…read morequalified and communication is excellent. Any questions we have are always answered and the teachers and families are amazing.

We wouldn't recommend this preschool. It was a church day care and a bit dated. There were some…read morenice kids, but the director and workers in the rooms are either parents of the kids or their friends. It was rare to see a full time staff member because most were just substitutes.