FPDS has been a good choice for us. A big plus for me is that they are one of the few places that…read morewill accept cloth diapered kids in their infant section! The school is well worn and well loved on the interior because it is in a lovely old church (where they have their yearly "kids concerts"). They are in church but are not teaching religious doctrine. The outdoor play area is fully covered with lovely old trees too. The teachers I would rate as great in the younger classes. We had issues with our pre-K kid in the 4 year old room as did our friend whose child was there. I feel like the teachers are a little harsh and too displine focused in the oldest childcare room. Annoyingly you can't set up any kind of automatic payment system for the monthly fee so you gotta remember to write that check !

FPDS has been an exceptional experience for both of our children. The caring, kind and talented…read morestaff helped our older son successfully transition to kindergarten this year after attending FPDS from 2 to 4. Our 2 year old daughter loves going to school and is learning so much from music to letters to social interactions. We believe in people and community and learning and FPDS is a gift to us personally, our children and the Durham community. We feel fortunate to have found this school!

As a first-time mom, the thought of leaving my infant with a stranger to return to work was…read moreanxiety-provoking, but one day at Mi Jardin assuaged my fears entirely. My son has been there for three months now and is truly thriving! They taught him to like tummy time and put himself to sleep for naps. He is meeting and even exceeding many of his developmental milestones. He spends time outside every day, which he loves, and the peer interaction has been so good for him. Every afternoon, I get a detailed report about his day, and their insights are incredibly helpful to me as a new mom. The gift of learning a second language from infancy is immeasurable and one that I know will benefit him for the rest of his life. It truly takes a village, and Mi Jardin has quickly become an indispensable part of ours.

After a lot of media attention related to day care issues all over the country and stories of…read morechildren being neglected/forgotten, I approached our day care options very carefully and cautiously. It is important to keep in mind that not everyone's experiences exemplify the all-around experience, and not every teacher is the same. The teachers in the classroom make a world of difference to the experience of the family entrusting them. With that said, we have been exceedingly fortunate to have had our nearly 2 year-old under the care of Ms. Ann, Ms. Kenisha, and Ms. Susan here. They have all shown what appears to be an honest interest and care for our child. They provide daily care sheets that let us know what he/she ate (of huge importance to me), how they engaged him/her 'academically' (at the toddler age, this would be like singing a certain song, learning about a certain color, working on please/thank you, etc.), diaper changes, naps, and communication to the parents if diapers or wipes are running low. It is an efficient system for communicating those things you are hoping your child is doing/eating/learning. We have popped in without notice on several occasions to really do our own form of 'random inspection,' if you will - really we wanted to verify that at random points midday that our child was being attended to as necessary, playing well, eating well, napping well, etc. So far each visit has been great and we have never experienced any issues with any of the staff that has cared for our child. The management has been wonderful as well. Ms. Stacey does a wonderful job of remembering you and your child's name, and any issues or questions with tuition, payments, general care questions that I have sent them via email have been responded to very promptly. You can research the facility/franchise online and see the technology available to the students. There's a great play town that the older kids get to take advantage of (our toddler is still too young at this point), there are two separate outdoor play areas complete with toys, slides, and ample room as well as seating and shade. They do apply sunblock to the kids, which is a nice touch. We have also been told that as our child gets older and moves up to the next class, they will work on potty training as well. We have seen our child's vocabulary and social skills absolutely BLOSSOM since we have started with this TLE. As I said, we have been so lucky to have the great teachers our child has right now. As our child grows and switches to another class, that story may or may not change, but I will update my review as necessary. For now, I am happy to report that we are extremely satisfied with the care, attention, and developmental/educational lessons that these caring teachers have provided for our child.

We have had a terrific experience at this daycare (TLE). Our daughter started at 13 weeks old…read more After the childcare situation we'd planned on since before she was born fell through at the last minute, I showed up at TLE a bit desperate. With three days left before I was supposed to start back at work, I count myself so lucky that they happened to have one spot open in the infant room! Ms. Regina in Infant Room B is a wonderful caregiver. She is always calm and steady, always positive and warm. Her classroom is peaceful, and the kiddos in there seem very content. I was worried that our daughter, who struggled with bottle feeding, would go hungry at daycare. Ms. Regina was willing to work with her and now our kiddo is happily taking five bottles a day. What's even more amazing is that, after I told Ms. Regina I was really struggling with missing my daughter while at work, she started writing extra notes in the daily report. In addition to knowing when my baby napped/ate/was changed, I get to read little details like, "She seems to be especially fond of one of the other babies in the room," or, "Today she smiled while her teacher held her up to the window and talked about the arrival of spring." Those little glimpses into her day show me that she's getting attention and love, and they make all the difference to my peace of mind. Overall, everyone at this center seems kind and sincere. While our daughter does spend some time in bouncy chairs (which is unavoidable when one person cares for multiple infants!), I was thrilled to see that she is more often being held or hanging out in a Boppy pillow on the floor while looking happily at the other babies. Ms. Wendi, the director, is very personable and patient with new parent concerns. She also called promptly on the two occasions that my daughter had an "incident" -- throwing up and getting a small scratch. This made me feel very secure that our kid was safe at TLE. Before enrolling, when I looked for reviews of this daycare online, I didn't find that many -- so I'm especially happy to add my opinion and say that I'd definitely recommend TLE to friends and would say it is worth every penny.

I am not a person who usually writes reviews, but I was so fortunate to be brought to Seedlings…read morethrough a neighbor and I would have missed it if she hadn't tipped me off. So if you (like me) had continued scrolling after not finding much internet presence, this is for you. When my son was approaching 3, I was overwhelmed at the idea of finding and vetting a preschool - so much so that I disengaged from even looking. I was drawn to something play-based, nature-oriented, nurturing...fun - but I was intimidated by the seeming rigidity that can come with some of the frameworks that I found. (no shade, it was just my perception - I feared I couldn't live up to something like a Waldorf standard in my parenting and I didn't know there was something between an academic-type preschool setting and a daycare.) I took the leap and called Jana. Three years later I'm writing in disbelief that our time with her is over. In Seedlings we found a program that seemed breezy and fun from the outside, but that was woven through with intention and routine behind the scenes. Seedlings helped ground my children in the rhythms of daily life. Our kids got muddy and wet, they cried and found comfort in Jana's arms, they gained confidence and skills, they learned to see other children as friends and not "others", they learned to celebrate each other and celebrate themselves. All of this while Jana and her amazing assistant Caroline carefully, silently, coordinated the many moving parts that have to happen enable a group of children to coexist and thrive as a group. Bonfires, potlucks, holiday shares, birthday celebrations, seasonal festivals and a multitude of other modest, homespun events (that I think are a HUGE amount of work for Jana and Caroline) served as gifts for the children - something to work towards, something to look forward to, something to remember and reflect on as each week goes by. As parents we got to join for many of these events and share in some of the magic of Seedlings - watching our kids thrive in their own community. It's hard to imagine what my life as a parent would be like today if we hadn't made the call to Jana. I never anticipated I would learn so much about parenting from seeing what my son and daughter were capable of in the right environment or from talking through a challenge or insecurity with their preschool teacher! In my case, she wasn't just teaching my kids... :) There's a reason there are so many siblings at Seedlings - it's hard to imagine another spot once you get a feel for what's possible. We are forever grateful to Jana and Caroline for being truly loving hands as they challenged our kids to grow. Hope this helps one person who is overwhelmed at the thought of finding a preschool. Good luck to all the parents out there just trying to find the right fit!

Seedlings is a half-day home-based preschool that promotes imaginative play, natural learning, and…read moredaily rhythm and routines for young children. Jana is an amazing teacher who has taught preschool-first graders for many years. She supports each child's individual interests and abilities while creating a loving and cooperative atmosphere. The children spend lots of time outside gardening, tending to chickens and bunnies, and exploring freely. Families join in to celebrate seasonally, and there are a variety of Waldorf- and Montessori-inspired activities that prepare children for what lies ahead. My daughter is sadly outgrowing Seedlings for preschool, but we will not hesitate to attend summer "camp" or anything else we're allowed to join in on!!

I've had my child in this daycare for a year and I've really been impressed by the quality of care…read morehere. I did an intensive research process to discover this daycare -- visited 5 in this area and called every single one in Chapel Hill region. This was hands down the best one. Community: The daycare is a co-op model, which means that parents are asked to volunteer to help with small projects and that the profits they earn go back to help fund the education of their caretakers. I think this really makes a difference for feeling like you are paying and investing in a community, rather than a corporation. Lower ratios: most daycares go with what the state mandates - 1:5 for babies, 1:6 for 1-2 year olds, and 1:10 for 2-3 year olds. Coming from another state; this is just abysmal. They start at 1:3 and then do 1:6 for 2-3 year olds. Anyone who has been in a daycare room when all the kids are there knows that this should really be the max. Price: it's a bit more costly than other daycares in the area, but it's worth it in my opinion. They do accept vouchers so you can look into that if you need. Location: maybe from a lot of people, but southern village is a great place. The kids can go on field trips to the huge park or this weaver street. Outdoor play: They do a lot of it and are very diligent about bug spray and sunscreen. They have a wonderful play yard with plenty of room, shade, and toys. They do water play in the summer twice a week. Potty training: they are very supportive with potty training and will sit your child on the potty every 30 minutes if that's what's needed. Drop off/pick up: not sure the earliest time you can drop off - maybe 7 or 730? Latest pick up is 530. Discipline/style: they are warm and gentle, but also good at enforcing boundaries. I've seen them engaging in more gentle methods like making positive suggestions for alternatives rather than just saying no. The structured scheduled helps kids know that putting away toys, sitting down at meals, washing hands, and going potty every hour are non negotiables.

When we moved to the area from Washington, D.C. a year and a half-ago, my biggest concern was how…read moremy then-2-year-old daughter would transition to a new daycare setting. Thankfully, CHDCC went above and beyond to welcome my daughter to the school and to meet her needs (and mine!) during that first week. Throughout our time at CHDCC, my husband and I have been incredibly impressed by the quality of the teachers and staff. Our center in D.C. had frequent staff turn-over and it has been such a gift to watch our daughter grow and thrive with a consistent, experienced early childhood professional. This teacher magically potty-trained our daughter in the first two months at school and supported her social, emotional, and cognitive growth each day. We were lucky enough to loop with her from the 2 year-old to the 3 year-old room, making for another smooth transition this year. Everyone at the center is warm and welcoming and I am always blown away by the fact that every adult in the building knows my daughter by name and looks out for her well-being. I am a huge fan of the play-based learning that takes place at CHDCC and love how her teacher differentiates instruction to cater to both the abilities and the interests of each child. I would highly recommend CHDCC to other parents and plan to enroll our second child in the infant room this year.

lovely daycare, always smiling faces when you walk in ! would definitely recommend other parents to…read morecheck this daycare out !

My child loves this place! He has been going there for a couple of years now and every time I pick…read morehim up he says he had a great day! Ms.B and Ms.Nobie are both very nice people and really take care of my son.

My daughter started at Wildflower when she turned three, and she's been loving it! The kids spend a…read morelot of time outside everyday, not just at the playground but also in the woods, at the mud pit and bike path. She has so much fun, coming home tired and content. The teachers are nurturing, loving and attentive. I especially appreciate how they educate kids to be wholesome human beings, care for each other and solve conflicts among themselves.

The teachers are the most patient and positive human beings I have ever come across, and have made…read moremy daughter's first experience with out-of-home care the best I could hope for. Her imagination and confidence have both blossomed since she began there. I only wish the program extended to kindergarten and beyond.